Rugby Rising

When India take on Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Tuesday, in the first match of a tri-series also involving Thailand, they may be punching above th...

When India take on Sri Lanka in Mumbai on Tuesday, in the first match of a tri-series also involving Thailand, they may be punching above their weight. But, 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.

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No wonder Hetaraka, currently training his team All Blacks-style at the Bombay Gym, is upbeat about the task ahead. ‘‘The last international I coached for was between New Zealand and Australia, so I’m using the same techniques here, and the sessions are off-limits to all. Beating either will be a big thing, and wet-weather conditions will play a big role,’’ he says.

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 winsmore recognitionmore sponsors.

		WINNING LINE-OUT?

	A major asset for the game’s growth is the fact that the IRFU is one of the few Indian sports bodies with a corporate structure, registered under the Companies Act (the BCCI is registered under the Societies Registration Act). The IRFU pyramid has the president on top, followed by the board comprising two VPs, secretary, treasurer. Then comes the COO, followed by the various technical directors, Rugby Development Officers (RDO) and other coaches

Sinh says the team is looking at four key players (apart from Hetaraka’s ‘secret recipe’): vice-captain Naseer Hussain (flanker/centre), Emil Vartazarian (fullback), Gangadhar Rane (centre) and Ganesh Sawant (winger).

And for the first time there are reinforcements on the way. Taking a cue from other Asian sides, the IRFU is looking at expat players from advanced rugby-playing countries (international rules say expats who can trace their roots to a grandparent in their country of origin can opt to play for the country).

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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IRFU president Pramod Khanna says four of the five zones have started development activity. Examples:
• The Western India Rugby Football Union (WIRFU) has held a touch rugby training camp in Pune
• The Army team is a new entrant to this year’s Bombay Cup
• The South India Rugby Football Union (SIRFU), formally instituted a month-and-a-half ago, comprises Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Pondicherry RFUs, with the Andhra Pradesh union set to come up over the next two months
• The South, says Chennai-based Vartazarian, has 12 schools fielding 18 teams in the U-13, U-16 (includes two girls’ teams) and U-19 junior age-group categories
• The Northern India RFU has received response from Meerut and is trying to set up shop in Agra, says its president Jhunjhun Bhasin What offers hope is the fact that rugby is included in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in Delhi

If there is a cause for concern, it’s the game’s decline in Kolkata — and/or vice versa. The sport has fallen on hard times in the city, with the Armenian community dying out and LMOB and its junior team, Tigers, pulling out of this year’s events.

So bring on Lanka and Thailand; this time next year they may just be in the same weight category. The omens are good.