TIGERS UNITED

Hong Kong maintained their 100% record in Asia Rugby Championship Top Division and move into Rugby World Cup  qualification driving seat. They scored 13 tries to beat Malaysia 91-10 in the hunt for their first-ever Asia Rugby Championship Top Division title. Malaysia's dream of reaching the 2019 Rugby World Cup was over even before the match started, but Hong Kong are on the best form to be in Japan next year. It is Malaysia's biggest defeat in recent years and they were just no match to the favourites at Hong Kong Football Stadium. Hong Kong's head coach, Leigh Jones made 11 changes to his starting 15 and naming four debutants, and they did not give Malaysia an inch for the full 80 minutes. Tries by Conor Hartley , Jamie Lauder , Adam Fullgrabe , Jack Delaforce , Jack Neville , Jamie Pincott , Jamie Tsang , Max Denmark and Robert Keith made the game look easy for Hong Kong. Eleven successful conversions by Ben Rimene and one by Matthew Rosslee were more than enough...

Thai hotshot Pavit Tangkamolprasert bounced back from a wrist injury after closing with a three-under-par 69 to claim a record sixth Asian Development Tour (ADT) title at the Betagro Championship on Sunday. The 29-year-old Pavit, who held a three-shot advantage heading into the final round thanks to a sparkling third round 62, traded six birdies against three bogeys to win by one shot with a 19-under-par 269 total at the Suwan Golf and Country Club . With this victory which also marks his first on home soil, Pavit now holds the most number of wins on the ADT , which was inaugurated as a gateway to the Asian Tour in 2010. He had shared the record with Chan Shih-chang after claiming his fifth title in Chinese Taipei in 2016. Thailand's Thitiphun Chuayprakong , playing in his first tournament following an eight-month injury-layoff, was hot on Pavit's heels, firing five birdies against a bogey in his opening 11 holes before nailing an eagle-birdie from 14 to tie the lead. Two ...

LIGA SUPER: KELANTAN 0 - NEGERI SEMBILAN 2 Kelantan struggles continued after they slumped to their eight defeat in Liga Super this season. Bottom place Negeri Sembilan took advantage at the Tunku Abdul Rahman Stadium in Paroi to claim an important win that sees them draw level on points with the team they beat. Alex De Moreas found the net for Negeri Sembilan in the 16th minute. In the 38th minute, Angel Guirado extended their lead with a well taken penalty. Although it is only their second win of the season, it is a good sign for the Jangs to bounce back into the competition. However, Kelantan suffered another setback after the midweek humiliation at the hands of Kuala Lumpur. Negeri Sembilan can now focus on their chance to get out of the relegation zone. RUGGER DISTRICT

LIGA SUPER: SELANGOR 1 - KEDAH 2 Kedah defeated Selangor 1-2 despite a late surge from the home side in the second half. The Red Eagles had lost at the same venue to Kuala Lumpur earlier in the season. Baddrol Bakhtiar opened the scoring for Kedah in the first half. Liridon Krasniqi doubled their lead by the after 7 minutes into the second half. Syahmi Safari pulled one back for the Red Giants in the 71st minute. Kedah hung on with the one goal advantage until the end of the match. The Red Eagles are one of the three clubs between third to fifth who are tied on 21 points. Selangor's miserable run in Liga Super could see them being demoted to the Liga Premier next season. The 33-time Malaysia Cup champions are just three points above the relegation zone, occupied by Negri Sembilan and Kelantan, at ninth on 11 points with 11 matches left to play. THE MATCH

Gareth Bale came off the bench to score twice, including one of the all-time great goals in a Champions League final, as Real Madrid beat Liverpool 3-1 in Kiev on Saturday to take the trophy for the third year running. Bale's jaw-dropping overhead kick in the 64th minute put Real 2-1 up moments after his introduction, following a dramatic start to the second half in which Karim Benzema gave Real the lead as a result of a Loris Karius howler. Sadio Mane had briefly restored parity, but Bale put Real in front again and then sealed the triumph late on with a long-range strike that the unfortunate Karius could only punch into the net. Jurgen Klopp 's and Liverpool's own evening was marred by the loss of a distraught Mohamed Salah to injury in the first half, the Egyptian coming off half an hour in having damaged his shoulder. This was not to be Salah's night, with Real allowing Zinedine Zidane to become the first coach ever to win the Champions League thre...

Chinese Taipei defeated Thailand in their final match to claim the Asia Rugby Championship Division II title. Based on the World Rugby Rankings, Chinese Taipei were the favourites to land the title despite playing on a humid day in Pattaya. Both teams had defeated India earlier before coming into the decisive match.  Thailand did not went down easily, as they made the visitors to work hard until the end of the match. Akarin Thitisakulvit gave the hosts a good start in the final from a penalty. Che-Yu Sung gave Chinese Taipei the first try in the 19th minute to put them into the lead. Thailand responded with a try 10 minutes later through Vatcharakorn Vorachate to regain the lead. Thitisakulvit scored another penalty to extend their advantage, but Wei-Ming Ling got another try to keep Chinese Taipei just one point behind at the break. Both sides played solid games after the break. Sumet Thammaporn scored Thailand's second try with in the 60th minute. W...

American John Catlin won his maiden Asian Tour title after carding a final-round three-under-par 69 to win the US$300,000 Asia-Pacific Classic on Sunday. The 27-year-old had a nervy start as he dropped two shots on his opening nine holes. However, he recovered when it mattered most, scoring birdies on holes 11, 13 and 14 before holding on for his maiden Asian Tour victory on a 16-under-par 272 total at the St Andrews Golf Club in Henan, China. Catlin, a two-time Asian Development Tour (ADT) who has earned his Asian Tour card by finishing third on the ADT merit list, took home a winner's purse of US$54,000. He has risen from 44th to 20th place on the Habitat for Humanity Standings. Thailand's Natipong Srithong  and Australia's Adam Blyth  share second place, two shots behind Catlin. Natipong shot six birdies during his flawless round, but it was a case of too little, too late. Blyth rued his bogey at the 10th, which took away his momentum in his chase for the ti...