India junior girls set for Asia Rugby meet next month

Express News Service

BHUBANESWAR: Rugby India announced on Saturday that the junior girls’ national team will be taking part in the upcoming Asia Rugby U-18 Girls Rugby 7s. The event is scheduled to be held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on September 18 and 19. Activities related to the sport are back in the country after a long gap due to Covid-19 pandemic.

With the event in mind, a total of 53 players from 13 states had been part of the camp at the KIIT University campus here, since August 14.  The camp was trimmed to 20 on Saturday and the final 12-member team will be announced on September 16, the concluding day of the ongoing camp. The camp is being overseen by Hendrik Naas Botha, Ludwiche Van Deventer and Jannie Brooks along with India women’s Rugby team captain Vahbiz Bharucha, according to Rahul Bose, renowned actor and board member of Rugby India.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is happy to lend support and wished the team well. “The partnership between Rugby India and the Government of Odisha has started taking shape. I am happy that the national girls team’s training camp is being organised here in Bhubaneswar. I would like to extend my best wishes to all girls who will make it to the U-18 squad that will play the Asia 7s in Uzbekistan.”

“Rugby has a special place in the sports development initiative in the state. Many of our young boys and girls are playing rugby and making it to the national teams. Odisha will become the home of Indian rugby. We would like to extend our full support to Indian Rugby and may this partnership thrive for many years,” he added.

Bose is confident that the sport will grow with the backing from all quarters. “With the valuable support of the Central Government,  Odisha Government and KIIT University we are confident our Rugby teams will qualify for the 2028 Olympic Games,” he said.