The two-day Junior National Rugby Sevens Championship 2017 will get underway at the Nehru stadium here tomorrow.
Boys and girls teams from 21 states will be taking part in the under-18 tournament, Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union Secretary General Senthil Thiyagarajan told reporters here today.
Defending champion Odisha will look to retain its title and will face stiff competition from Tamil Nadu, the runner-up from last year's edition.
The tournament will serve as a platform for selection for the Indian national Under-17 and Under-18 teams that will compete in international tournaments later this year.
The national Under-18 girls team will participate in the World Games - Rugby Sevens in Paris, France on July 8 and 9.
According to Rugby India and Asia Rugby vice-president Aga Hussain, "Rugby is growing at a rapid rate across Asia and in particular across India. We will largely focus on increasing national age-grade tournaments and participation in international age-grade Rugby tournaments, which will help popularise the sport."
The tournament is organised by the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU), also known as Rugby India, in association with Societe Generale, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union (TNRFU).
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