Swans tame Piranhas in Curtin Crocs rugby final

Miri – 22 May 2017 – Sibu Swan Rugby Club won the inaugural Curtin Crocs 10-a-side tournament held on the Curtin University, Malaysia (Curtin Malaysia) campus rugby pitch recently.

Powered by the evergreen Fijian Iowane Sovatabua, they subdued Miri Piranhas Black 19-14.

Iowane touched down in the second minute after they won a maul 10 metres from the Miri line followed by a conversion. In the seventh minute, Iowane picked up another loose ball and hammered through the Miri defence for another touchdown. Half time score was 14-0.

The Piranhas regrouped after the interval and reduced the deficit in the 12th minute for a touch down and conversion.

The Swans then extended their lead with a third touch down before the Piranhas had a consolation touch down in the final minute of play.

Baram Rhinos edged Bintulu 12-10 to grab the Plate Final while Curtin Crocs thrashed Kenyalang Warriors 21-5 to bag the Bowl Final.

A total of nine teams took part in the championship organised by the Curtin Rugby Club and Miri Division Rugby Association (MDRA), which is an affiliate of the Sarawak Rugby Union (SRU).

The other three participating teams were the newly-assembled Sibu Saints, IKBN and Piranhas Red.

Hafizuddin Abdul Rahman, president of the Curtin Rugby Club, said the tournament was an outstanding success and thanked the university management and the Sarawak Rugby Union for their support. He added that while the Curtin Crocs did not lift the title, it was a good learning experience for the players who are still relatively new.

This tournament followed on the heels of another highly successful rugby tourney at Curtin Malaysia the prior weekend – the Hornbill 10’s hosted by the university in conjunction with the Miri May Festival. That tournament saw 300 players from 20 teams vying for honours in four categories – U15, U18, U19 and Women’s U18.

For more information on Curtin Malaysia, visit its website (www.curtin.edu.my), its Facebook page (CurtinMalaysia), Twitter profile (curtinmalaysia), Google+ page (Curtin Malaysia) or Instagram (curtinmalaysia).

The victorious Sibu Swans after receiving their prizes.

The second-placed Piranhas.

Plate Final winners Baram Rhinos.

Bowl Final winners Curtin Crocs.