India toy with Guam

India fly-half Emil Vartazarian made merry with his first-ever career drop goal today, while India walloped a feeble, yet better-ranked, Guam 47-0 at Bombay Gymkhana.

India fly-half Emil Vartazarian made merry with his first-ever career drop goal today, while India walloped a feeble, yet better-ranked, Guam 47-0 at Bombay Gymkhana.

Playing their lone home game of the Asian Rugby Tournament, India put in a tidy performance — rarely drifting away from the game-plan of David Wiggins — their stern new British coach. The rains played along, much to the advantage of the hosts as every progressive heavy shower was greeted with points — winger Ganesh Sawant crossing flanks and sprinting away for the first try within seven minutes of play.

Managing successfully to spoil Guam’s intentions to dominate, the other Mumbai boys — captain Nasser Hussain and Mufaddal Indorewalla — touched down in what were perhaps their breeziest charge-ins into the Guam half, while debutant army-man Bikash Jena and fullback Francis Brown got one each in the second half, even as Vartazarian converted cent percent on the day and logged in three penalties to cap a fine performance from the well-oiled Indian unit.

The drop goal came late in the first half — from 40 metres and kicked from in front of the uprights — albeit from a bad ball, wherein Vartazarian found himself without support after receiving a pass awkwardly. “I literally took it to save my life.” India next play the Philippines on July 1.

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