Nungua Tigers caused a major upset in the ongoing Rugby League Federation Ghana (RLFG) Men’s 13s Championship as they exacted revenge on leaders Skolars RLFC by beating them 41–26 in a thrilling game at the Legon Rugby Stadium last Sunday.
The fiercely contested match ushered in the second round of the league.
Having fallen 34–26 to Skolars in week one, the Tigers came into the eighth week fixture with a point to prove and rightly so, they picked up from the blast of the umpire’s whistle with a double try from Gideon Klugey and one each from Godfred Aikins, Ekow Sarkodie, Oliver Puman, Kofi Montchon, Abdul Rahman with a penalty try from Emmanuel Coffie while Montchon also added a drop goal and two conversions.
Skolars responded with double tries from Elvis Ayertey and Bless Mensah, with one by Michael Egyiri while Mensah scored two conversions to end the game 41-26 in favour of the Tigers.
The result did not only avenge their first round defeat but marked their first official victory over Skolars, lifting Tigers to the second place on the league table with 12 points, and overtaking Bulls while closing in on the leaders who have 15 points.
In the second game, Accra Panthers stunned defending champions, Bulls RLFC, beating them 22-16 in a closely fought contest which served a sweet revenge after a narrow 20–18 defeat by the Bulls in the first round fixture.
Two tries from Jalilu Abdul and one each from Godwin Asamoah, Adam Marsuu and Abdul Wadood Arimiyao was complemented by conversions from Asamoah and Marsuu to stretch the lead.
The surprised Bulls side tried to work their way back into the game, scoring tries from Bright Bawah and Kevin Boadu, plus a conversion from Leslie Boadu, but it was too little to change the outcome.
In a major highlight of the day, spectators were treated to the women’s 9s match between Awutu Ladies and Accra Ladies, a sign of the sport’s rapid development among the female gender as well.
Accra Ladies won a 12–0 victory which had Fati Boom and Elizabeth Anyusi Adongo scoring two beautiful tries in each half of the game.
Despite the loss, the game marked a historic first for Awutu Ladies, who played together as a full team for the first time.
Week nine fixtiures will have Dragons go head-to-head with UG Titans while Skolars face Panthers in a cagey encounter with Awutu Ladies and Accra Ladies returning for game two of the Women’s Series.
BY RAYMOND ACKUMEY
