SANDAKAN: Borneo Flyers soared as Borneo 7s 2026 delivered a thrilling Day 1 at Eagles Rugby Club Stadium, here, Saturday.
Hosts dominated the Women’s Division with three emphatic wins, while BR7s Development Squad sprung a surprise and Nationwide Nadi 7s dazzled in the men’s draw.
14 teams from eight countries delivered a pulsating opening day of International Sevens Rugby in front of an energetic Sandakan crowd.
The women’s division belonged to the Borneo Flyers, who stamped their authority with three commanding victories: 34 to 0 over DKI Jakarta, 31 to 17 against Eagles RFC Select and 28 to 0 over Uzbekistan, finishing the day on top ofthe round-robin standings heading into Day 2.
Winger Louisa Tubailagi was the standout performer, carving through defences with pace and power all afternoon to emerge as one of the most exciting players on show.
Her ability to finish under pressure and create space for teammates made the Flyersa formidable force on the opening day.
“This is what home support does. The girls fed off the energy from the crowd anddelivered some outstanding rugby,” said Eagles Rugby Club President VelayuthanTan (Vela).
Louisa was exceptional, but this was a total team effort from the Flyers.
BAC Singapore also impressed with a commanding 46 to 0 victory over Onsoi Fusion, while Uzbekistan sat at two wins from three after a strong start before being shut out by the Flyers in Round 3.
In the men’s division, Australia’s Nationwide Nadi 7s set the tone early with a devastating 48 to 0 demolition of the BR7s Development Squad in their opening PoolB fixture.
Former Fiji 7s international Suluka Tunaka was the catalyst, producing a string of tries with his explosive pace and trademark offloading game, reminding fansof the quality on display at this year’s tournament.
However, the day’s most inspiring storyline came from the BR7s Development Squad, Malaysia’s national development programme, who bounced back from that heavy opening defeat to upset Uzbekistan 17 to 7 in their second match.
The young Malaysian talents showed composure and resilience, proving they belong on the international stage and underlining the development pathway that tournaments like Borneo 7s are designed to nurture.
Kazakhstan were the dominant force in Pool A, winning both their fixtures against Fizzpapa’s Belgium Rugby 7s (24 to 7) and Malaysian University (26 to 7) to top thegroup, however Malaysian University finished the day with a strong win against Fizzpapa while hosts Borneo Eagles will look to regroup on Day Two after a toughopening day that included a 5 to 17 loss to Malaysian University and a 19 all drawwith Fizzapapa Belgium Barbarians.
All matches were live-streamed on the Eagles Rugby Club Facebook page and YouTube channel.
Sunday’s action for Day 2 today begins at 8:30am with the final women’s round-robin matches before the men’s quarter-finals get underway.
The tournament builds towards the Cup Finals in both divisions, with the women’s Cup final at 4.54pm and the men’s Cup final at 5.15pm.
The finals will be broadcast live on Astro Sports Plus from 3pm to 6pm, while all matches will be live-streamed on the Eagles Rugby Club Facebook page and YouTube channel.
