Piranhas Lutong lift Knight Sevens title in Brunei

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Piranhas team manager Faqrul Hafiz Abu Bakar (fourth left, standing) and players posing with Knight Rugby Union Football Club Abu Bakar Abdullah after the prize presentation.

Sylvia Alexander Lian

KUCHING: Piranhas Lutong Rugby Club enjoyed a good outing in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei last weekend when they won the Knight Sevens Rugby Tournament at the Sungai Asam Sports Complex.

The team managed by Faqrul Hafiz Abu Bakar overpowered Sharks Alpha 38-5 in the final with tries from Clinton (2), Nurshahizad, Er Embran, Brendon Buki and Spencer.

En route to the final, the Piranhas made mincemeat of the Pythons Junior 33-0, outplayed Sharks Alpha 19-5 and Knight A 17-7 in Pool B before blanking the Pythons Senior 21-0 in the semi-finals.

Finishing in third place were Kukris who defeated Pythons Senior in the placings play-off.

The other two participating teams were Knight B and Vipers.

Piranhas were the only representative from Miri in the tournament organised by Knight Rugby Club as a platform to select Brunei national players.

“We hope the club will grow and produce more players. Previously, we only have 20 members and now the club is gaining its popularity in Miri with more than 100 members,” said Piranhas Lutong Rugby Club president Sylvia Alexander Lian who also praised the players for their years of dedication.

“We aim to develop and make rugby a popular sport in Miri.

“With the support from Miri Division Rugby Association (MDRA), our mission is to go to more schools in Miri and participate in more tournaments but we will need a main sponsor to support our mission,” she said.

“Most of the players are from Kolej Vokasional Miri, SMK Lutong and SMK Merbau.

“This year, we are focusing in getting into primary schools as our long-term development plan,” she added.