Going Comfortably Numb

Poor results and the loss of players to the American Football revolution has left Indian Rugby clutching at straws.

Written by Kabir Mandrekar

Mumbai | November 30, 2011 03:43 AM IST

4 min read

The Indian representation at the rugby sevens tournament held in Goa recently was a true reflection of the increasingly degrading rate of the minority sport which is already in a deplorable condition in the country. While the standard rugby squad consists of twelve players,with seven on the field and five in the extras,the Indian team could fill up their roster with only ten fit players. Former captain Nasser Hussain,who had initially put his rugby boots aside and was focusing on his organisational responsibilities had to pull himself out of temporary retirement after the Indians were suffering from injury troubles with the present ten. According to him,last minute injury issues forced the Indians into this predicament. We had a few problems with the players’ fitness during the camp itself. We were reduced to just ten players, he said.

The lack of squad depth caused India to finish in second from bottom only managing to beat the debutant’s UAE Shaheen on two occasions. They suffered defeats to China 24-5 and Kazakhstan 29-7. While the former Indian captain attributed this below par performance to injury troubles,the first signs of the effects of American Football’s blitzing entry were seen through the Elite Football League of India (EFLI). While the rugby players were roughing it out on the green turf at Don Bosco school,Panjim, a bunch of former internationals including Amit Lochab were running offences at the EFLI camp,which was being held simultaneously at the Athletics stadium of the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City in Balewadi,Pune. The tussle between the two sports has been ongoing ever since the entry of the sport in 2010.

While rugby has tried hard to hold on to their players,the money of offer from the rival sport has loosened their grip immensely. Their problems,however,compounded after the unfavourable result of the Commonwealth Games. Prior to the mega-event,the sport received government funding for the first time,were benefited by the expertise of a couple of foreign coaches South Africans by the names of Hendre Marnitz and Norman Laker and were also sent on a few foreign tours which included a stint at the Stellenbosch University,which is known the world over as one of the best rugby academies. While the year-long camp was marred with the usual problems of lack of proper facilities,this was the most attention that the sport has been given by the government. The team’s last place finish in the contest was a downer and the lush green rugby pitches at Delhi University,which were the first dedicated rugby pitches of world standard were converted into cricket grounds.

IRB Rugby Development Officer for Asia Jarrad Gallagher feels that India is still suffering from the hangover of the Commonwealth Games debacle and needs to start their development from the grass roots. The awareness is there as we can see from the Goa sevens tournament. The rugby world cup has definitely helped in this regard. We need to start from the bottom and lay a good foundation for rugby so that we have more kids playing the sport. It should be included in the school calendars so that it is played regularly. We need to increase the pool of players, said Gallagher. The Goa sevens tournament,on the whole,was an organisational success. The hosting Don Bosco students were encouraged to give their classes a skip and inaugurate their education in rugby. With the massive hulks on show,the kids were frantically chasing them for autographs. Parents who had come to pick up their children from school stayed to watch this strange sport which was being played on their football pitch. Rugby camps were organised with special children and orphanages from the Tara Trust a non profit organisation and there was a certain buzz about the place. The IRFU should make use of this awaareness and build on it to develop the sport in the country.

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