Six men’s and four women’s teams have taken part in the first rugby league 9s tournament to held in Istanbul, at the Beylerbeyi Stadium.

 The men’s sides - Bilgi Badgers (Bilgi university), Aqua Warriors, Eskisehir 222, Olimpos, Firuzkoy and Kadikoy Bulls were split into two groups of three with the top seeds contesting the final, Bulls defeating Warriors 25-21, MVP Aqua’s Selim Ozdemir.

 In the women’s competition, which featured new clubs Anku( Ankara university) and Dexter Kadikoy, alongside Angus Kadikoy and Aqua Warriors, Angus Kadikoy were triumphant in the decider, defeating Warriors 40-0 with Bengu Ozgun the outstanding player.

 TRLA General secretary, Gurol Yildiz commented: “This is a very proud moment for the sport in Turkey. The excitement of the players and teams was at a high level, Beylerbeyi Stadium is set near Bosphorus Bridge on the Asian continent and the tournament was played with a great scenic view, all who attended were impressed. As we continue playing rugby league the standard of games will develop. Bilgi Badgers were the most improved team of the tournament and Eskisehir 222 surprised everybody as they included a number of U18 players – definitely a team to look out for in the future. Olimpos and new comers Firuzkoy, who have very good numbers playing, showed great potential.“

 The TRLA is now looking forward to the upcoming season next month.