Kota Kinabalu: The Sabah rugby women’s team came close to winning the National 7s Open title held in Ipoh recently.
They were only beaten in the final by Selangor 17-22 after extra time from a golden try after both teams tied 17-17 at full time.
The girls had earlier come from behind to draw level from Divine Juvinol’s conversion following a try by Euphrasia Anne Cralis.
Despite the loss, coach Brad Mika was proud of the girls’ overall performance.
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“They gave it all in the final match but it was just unfortunate that we couldn’t win the match.
“They are a very special group of players and we wish them all the best in their future. After this, we will get back to the drawing board,” he said.
He also expressed his appreciation to all those who have given their support to the team.
Meanwhile, the State men’s team finished in ninth place among the 15 teams competing in the open category after beating PDRM 33-7 in the play-off, while the girls’ team placed seventh out of the 11 teams in the Under-20 category.
Sabah Rugby Union president Velayuthan Tan had mixed reaction with the results achieved by the teams.
“It is a mixed feeling as even though we came short in the women’s open, we were able to achieve our target in reaching the final.
“Our boys on the other hand, could have done better but they were punished by their own mistakes while for the Under-20 girls, the competition was more of an exposure for them.
“We would also like to thank Sabah Sports Council and others for their support in funding,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
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