Touch and go, rugby's India story

A sport that is popular in England and Europe is now finding acceptance in this country as well.

The last time you probably heard or read about rugby, the mention of India would have been a remote possibility. After all, we are a nation that dotes on cricket, suffers in hockey and look to other sports to provide this country with an occasional moment of euphoria. So where does rugby fit into all this? Played with great enthusiasm on the Continent (that would be England and Europe), this rough and tough sport has been on the back burner in India for a while but now the sport looks all set to become more mainstream.

International rankings in recent times also suggest this. Until 2002, India was ranked 105. In 2005 we inched up to 91 and in 2007 India has been ranked at 87. Despite this dramatic improvement there is still a lot of work that needs to be done. Pankaj Khanna, president, India Rugby Football Union (IRFU) agrees, "The potential is immense and with the meagre resources available at our disposal, we have performed well and have brought our ranking to an encouraging level. We hope to keep improving from here."

Just like other sports, in rugby too a lot will depend on support coming from various quarters like the government and sponsors. According to Khanna, a lot of encouragement and financial support has come from the International Rugby Board (IRB) as they do recognise the game's potential. The game is also growing in rural areas of the country. As Khanna puts it, "Rugby is an inexpensive game as you only need a ball and a ground to run around in." It is a great spectator sport and a lot of people initially look at the sport as a form of entertainment but end up taking it up professionally.

Actor Rahul Bose, who has been involved with the sport for over 20 years, feels that when he started playing the game, there were only a few clubs promoting the sport. "The game has definitely improved but each sport takes a lot of time and effort to become mainstream." Citing the example of cricket, he says that it took India almost 75 years to become a top ranked team and that too in a small pool. "Give rugby that sort of time and you will see results."

With Rugby 7s being a discipline at the Commonwealth Games 2010 in Delhi, it should be a wake-up call for the government. What, then, is the need of the hour? "We need dedicated rugby grounds all over India and this can easily be provided by the government through SAI."

The army has shown a lot of interest in the sport and has taken it up seriously. Just two years after the game was introduced, there are three to four players from the army in the national team. There are also three players from the police. Explains Khanna, "We have a development programme in place for the Indian Army, and the army has been supportive."

Sponsor support has also been good. Telecom major Hutch has been a "dedicated and passionate sponsor" according to Khanna. IRFU has also recently tied up with KAPPA as the kitting sponsor to the Indian team.

The International Rugby Board is viewing India and China as potential rugby playing nations. Khanna feels that the government should frame a policy on sports sponsorship offering tax incentives to sponsors. "This will not only help rugby but all sports."

But how good are the players? Khanna says that encouragement from parents of potential players is needed. Parents, however, feel that rugby is a rough game and players can sustain serious injuries. This, is a fallacy as sports players incur more injuries. However, Bose feels that it is a brutal sport. "Unlike football or, say, tennis, you can't on a lazy afternoonsay let's go out and have a quiet game."

The IRFU has been promoting touch rugby in over 100 schools in India and recently an Inter-school tournament held at the Bombay Gymkhana attracted over 14 schools and over 400 kids. Add to this, the junior level tournaments which are organised on a regular basis. Khanna informs that they have also approached SGFI (Schools Federation) for inducting the game in school curriculum and may be approved soon.

A few years ago, it was only Mumbai and Kolkata, and that too a few clubs in these cities, that played rugby. Rugby is now being played in Chennai, Bangalore, Pondicherry, Bhubaneshwar, Manipur, Assam, Delhi, Haryana, J&K (Srinagar), Pune and several of the army nodes like Ahmednagar, Bangalore and Ambala.

The biggest problem the sport faces is lack of infrastructure. "With government support, we will be able to take a giant leap to success."