Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 16 : Chennai Bulls were in fine form on day one of the Rugby Premier League (RPL), opening their campaign with a dominant 24-5 victory against Mumbai Dreamers on Sunday evening, at the Shahaji Raje Bhosale Sports Complex (Andheri Sports Complex). Marquee player Terry Kennedy played a pivotal role and bagged the Player of the Match award for his clinical performance, helping his side secure a resounding win.
Reflecting on the Chennai Bulls' first outing, Kennedy said, as quoted by the RPL press release, "It felt like a tough game out there. I think a couple of small things go either way, and then it becomes a different game."
He further elaborated on how the team has been working on building connections for the last couple of weeks. "We've spoken a lot over the last couple of weeks about building a connection since it's such a short window for us. So, it's about the connection and then the effort we put in on the pitch. That will get us a long way over the couple of weeks and I think we showed that in the first game which was great to see, but it's a long tournament. It's a good start, but we want to build on it", he added.
The World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year in 2022, Kennedy also shared his experience of playing in India for the first time. He said, "It's amazing. Between the pitch, the atmosphere, the music, the lights, and everything, it's really set up to allow us to entertain on the field and enjoy it. I think it helps rugby grow. Hopefully, we put on a good show over these couple of weeks, and as it grows over the years, I think it will be phenomenal to see where this will go."
Talking about the weather conditions and how it affects the foreign players, Kennedy added, "The pitch is spectacular, it's in an amazing condition - as good as we could have hoped. But yeah, it's humid, it's a little bit wet. So, it means you probably see more drop balls, or you have to look after the ball a little bit more. I think we did that quite well, so we were happy with that."
After a hard-fought encounter against the Hyderabad Heroes, the Kalinga Black Tigers will be looking to bounce back with a win when they face the Delhi Redz. Led by captain Harry Mcnulty, they will be looking to register their first win when they face Matias Osadczuk's side, who will be looking for their first win after their first match against Bengaluru Bravehearts ended in a stalemate.
The second contest of the day will see the Mumbai Dreamers aiming to open their account when they take on the Chennai Bulls. After a one-sided contest in the first game between the two sides, the onus will be on Tim Walsh's team to hit the ground running as they look to establish themselves in the tournament.
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