Burras Win Back-to-Back Sultan of Johor Cup Titles

Australia’s under 21 men’s hockey side, the Burras, have secured back-to-back Sultan of Johor Cup titles after defeating Great Britain 2-0 in the gold medal match in Johor Bahru, Malaysia on Monday morning (AWST).

After going down to Great Britain during the rounds the grand final match was set to be a blockbuster, both sides hunting the win.

Strong defensive pressure from the Burras alongside goals from Joel Rintala and Nathan Ephraums allowed Australia to run away with the title at the final whistle.

Winning five out of their six matches at the tournament saw Australia maintain the Sultan of Johor Cup for another year.

In their opening match, the Burras came away with a convincing win over the United States, beating them 19-0. 

Their wining ways continued into day two where the side claimed victory over Japan, defeating the 4-0 thanks to a dominating third quarter where all four of their goals were scored.

Despite taking the win over Great Britain in the grand final, the Australian’s were not so fortunate in the rounds, falling to the British by two goals.

After leading 2-1 at half time the Australian could no longer hold back the pressure from their opposition, allowing the British to find the goals another three times in the second half, making the final score 2-4.

Their fourth match of the tournament saw the Aussies bounce straight back, defeating India 4-3 and placing them in good contention for a spot in the grand final.

Heading in to their final match of the rounds, the Burras had to claim victory in order to have any chance at defending their Sultan of Johor Cup title.

Taking on Malaysia, Australia scored a quick two goals in the first 33 minutes before their opponents hit back finding the net in the 51st minute of the game.

Australia secured the win with a third goal in the 57th minute thanks to a penalty stroke form Andrew Scanlon.

Photo c/o Hockey Australia