Contact Rugby introduced for U15 players, Maharashtra girls triumph

The Sub Junior Girls team from Maharashtra proved their mettle as they they emerged winners beating seasoned champions Bihar at the recently concluded 9th Sub Junior National Rugby Sevens Championships 2024 held at Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.

Maharashtra beat Bihar 17-5 in the finals with pivotal help from Shravani Patil who finishes the competition as the top scorer of the championship.

This event marked a significant milestone for Indian Rugby, with the introduction of contact rugby for the Sub-Junior cohort of players (U15).

This gradual transition from touch rugby to contact rugby is consistent with the federation’s ambition to strengthen the Indian national age-grade teams, as they lock horns against teams at the Asian frontier.

Maharashtra leads the way

With 14 total tries at the event, the young girl from Maharashtra leads the next generation of rugby players that will look for a spot on the women’s national team including Komal Kumari (Bihar), Niha (Kerala) and Chahat (Chandigarh).

Winning this championship puts the spotlight on the girls from Maharashtra as they make up a formidable case for the senior women’s team in the years to come having already played contact rugby.

Earlier, Maharashtra beat eventually placed 3rd Delhi, 27-10 while Bihar ousted Rajasthan 20-5 in the semi finals. The tournament was held by Indian Rugby Football Union (Rugby India) over a span of 2 days with the total participation of 21 teams in the U15 Girls category.

Meanwhile, the U15 boys will compete for the crown at the Sub-Junior National Rugby Sevens Championships 2024 with Bihar as the clear favourites once again. The championship will start on the 15th of February till the 16th of February 2025 at Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.