MUMBAI: The Chennai Bulls put in a clinical performance on the day, as they demolished the Kalinga Black Tigers, 40-21, here at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex, here, in Mumbai, during Season 1 of the GMR Rugby Premier League.
From the get-go, the Chennai Bulls were looking to put a lot of pressure on the Kalinga Black Tigers’ defence. And it was the Bulls who had the better of the early exchanges, as Vaafauese Maliko sprinted down the wing to get his try. Shortly after, the Tigers got on the scoresheet with Kyle Tremblay’s try and Maurice Longbottom’s conversion.
Manueli Maisamoa then extended the lead for the Tigers with his try and Ethan Turner’s conversion; however, it was all Chennai after that. For the Bulls, Joseva Talacolo added a try and Vaafauese Maliko went over the line a couple of more times whilst Gaurav Kumar converted all his kicks.
The Bulls had stormed into a 12-point lead by the end of the third quarter, and they continued to dominate proceedings in the final phase of play as well. Filipe Sauturaga got on the scoresheet with a try and a conversion, and Alexander Davis’s try was complemented by Joseva Talacolo’s conversion. For the Tigers, Lucas Lacamp scored a try in the final minutes, but it was too little, too late.