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Rugby Rising

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->As a fullscale season gets under way, there is every sign that rugby is on the rise in India. When IOA secretary-general Randhir Singh says he sees rugby as a growth sport, there must be a reason.

There are, several. The past season saw several firsts for Indian rugby. The IRFU began developing rugby in the Army at Ahmednagar in Maharashtra under the guidance of New Zealand coach Willie Hetaraka. India embarked on their first-ever tour of world champions England. And Hetaraka was recently appointed as national coach, the first foreign coach for the Indian XV.

The fruits of the labour have already begun to show: the season-opener, the All India and South Asia Sevens in Bangalore, saw the Army team in their first competition. And they went all the way to the semis, shocking the Sri Lankans 36-17 in the quarters.

It’s a tough order. India are currently ranked 90th in the world; Sri Lanka are at 63, Thailand at 59. India are at the bottom of the Asian pile comprising 12 nations, with Japan, South Korea, Chinese Taipei and Hong Kong making up the top four. But team captain Chaitanya Sinh is optimistic. ‘‘A good show in this tri-nation tournament should boost our Asian presence,’’ he adds. More wins=more recognition=more sponsors.

The most significant signs of progress, however, lie in the re-structure of the domestic game, with plans for expansion in all five domestic Zones — East, West, North, South and Central. And, best of all, the All-India — the premier tournament — will be played in two divisions, the lower order, comprising new teams, playing its matches in a separate tournament in Chennai.
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