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The Indian National Sevens team was able to win the inaugural edition of the Istanbul Rugby Sevens 2010! After two long days in the burning sun, the Indian National Sevens was able to win all games during the Round Robin, and also during the Finals. The Indians went on with their preparations for their Commonwealth Games appearance in October by flying to England directly after the tournament.

The Dubai Frogs took the second place of the grand stand, taking home the Shield and EUR 1500 in cash, while the Istanbul Ottomans R.F.C. proved to be the strongest Turkish side by taking home the Plate and EUR 500 in cash.

The Round Robin leg of the tournament - which is the group stage played on Saturday - was won by the Indian National Sevens team, closely followed by the Dubai Frogs and the Sevens team of the Samsun Sharks.

Due to early injuries, the Exiles team was quickly diminished and had a hard time against the strong Turkish sides and the other teams from abroad. The Star&Crescent team and the Bakırköy Rugby Kulübü also had a hard time during the Round Robin, as they did not seem to have the qualities to match up against the other teams.

Interesting to see was the battle of the Turks, among the previous Turkish National Rugby Sevens winner Samsun Sharks, the Turkish selection team "Türk Gücü", and the oldest and biggest Rugby Club of Turkey, The Istanbul Ottomans R.F.C.. On day one, the Samsun Sharks proved to be the strongest Turkish side, as they ended third in the rankings.

During the second day - the day of the finals - the Indian National Sevens team had a easy game in their Quarter Finals against Bakırköy Rugby Kulübü, while the Dubai Frogs had no troubles with the Star & Crescent team, and the Samsun Sharks did win against the Exiles without pushing too hard. The most interesting Quarter Final was the game between the Turkish selection Türk Gücü, and the Istanbul Ottomans R.F.C.. The Ottomans were able to beat Türk Gücü with 22 against 7, ensuring the last spot on the semi-finals for the Cup, leaving Türk Gücü to play for the Dead Duck Trophy.

The Semi-Finals of the Dead Duck Trophy were played between Türk Gücü and Bakırköy R.K., and between the Star & Crescent and The Exiles teams. Both Türk Gücü and Star & Crescent were able to win the Semi-Finals and managed to get into the Final of the Dead Duck Trophy.

In the Semi-Finals for the Cup, the India National Sevens team had no trouble winning against the Istanbul Ottomans R.F.C., while the Dubai Frogs won with a massive score of 61-0 against the Samsun Sharks.

The following three finals were played:

• Dead Duck Tropy Final: Star & Crescent - Türk Gücü
• Plate Final: Istanbul Ottomans R.F.C. - Samsun Sharks
• Cup Final: Dubai Frogs - India National Sevens

The Dead Duck Trophy Final was won by Türk Gücü with 33 to 0. Without a doubt, they have been caught in a weak moment against the strong and experienced Ottomans in the Quarter Finals, but they truly deserved to win a prize, and that has become the infamous Dead Duck!

After the Dead Duck Trophy Final, the losing Cup Semi-Finalists the Samsun Sharks and the Istanbul Ottomans played for the Plate final and the chance the win EUR 500. It was a good final of two teams that were well matched to eachother, with Samsun Sharks starting to score with a first try, but then the Istanbul Ottomans to shift a gear and taking the Plate and the EUR 500 in cash, by winning 22 - 5.

The Cup final - in which the winner takes EUR 3000 and the loser takes EUR 1500 - has been played, as expected, between the Dubai Frogs and the Indian national team. The Dubai Frogs started strong with a try and a conversion, but the Indian National Sevens team bounced quickly back and managed to equalize the score. Eventually, the Indians appear to have the biggest reserve and manage to win the Final with 28 against 14, writing history as they have become the very first Istanbul Rugby Sevens winner of 2010!

The Referees, Mike Hoyer; Gary Allen; John Lane; Rob Harman; Ian Coltman; Matej Razga; and Dave Smith, have awarded two players of the tournament: Dubai Frog's skipper Antoine Bertheuil as being the Player of the Tournament, and Türk Gücü's Mustafa Kemal as being the Most Promising Player of the Istanbul Rugby Sevens tournament.

The Istanbul Rugby Sevens committee thank the Referees for doing an excellent job and having a tournament without incidents; the Turkish Ministry of Sports (GSGM) and the Turkish Rugby Federation (TBSF) for their support; the Turkish National Olympic Committee (TMOK) for their excellent maintained facilities, and of course our sponsors and the volunteers for making this tournament possible! Our hopes are to see you next year again!!

The Exiles - existing of expats living in Turkey, Turks living abroad and former Turkish expats - have teamed up and registered to the Istanbul Rugby Sevens tournament, aiming to win this tournament and write history!

Stevie Young - a Welshman in Istanbul - will be skipping the Exiles side, and is much excited to be part of this tournament in Istanbul: "Although we've never played together in this formation, but we are not here to give away any presents. It will be tough for us, but our aim is to be on the grand stand on Sunday afternoon!".

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