Rugby Academy | Bats & company win U16 Premiership final

Local rugby team the Macau Bats played last Sunday in the Hong Kong Premiership Bowl play-off final.

The Bats have combined forces with the Flying Kukris and Discovery Bay Pirates to play in the Premiership this season. Their opponents in the final were the Hong Kong Junior Warriors.

The teams had met earlier in the season – a game the Warriors had won and as such they started as favourites for this match. However, the Bats/Kukris/Pirates came into the match on the back of a good run of form having won their previous two matches convincingly.

The combined team got off to the perfect start and scored an early try against the physically powerful Warriors. This was followed by three more tries to give the Bats a 24-7 half-time lead.

The Macau players excelled at closing down space for their larger opponents and tackled well. The Warriors continued to press in the second half, however the Bats/Kukris/Pirates ran out convincing winners by 45-19. The Bats players scored 40 out of the 45 points to underline the strong contribution they have made to the team during the season.

Coach Paul Baker commented: “It’s always good to win a final and the boys have put together some fine performances over the past few months. At times it’s been a very difficult league to play in and we still aim to improve in the second half of the season. However, this win gives the team a tremendous boost.” Donald Shaw, Special to MDT