Rugby: Taking on the mighty

It’s not for the faint hearted. When sweaty, beefy men decide it is okay to run full force into each other, tackle wildly and smash shoulder into ribs, the turf is going to be splattered with blood, broken teeth and the stretcher will be called in much more often. And quite ominously, a game of rugby begins with an ancient aggressive New Zealand dance called the Haka.

India is not new to rugby. They have been playing it for a few years now and with very little success. But hosting the Commonwealth Games has brought with it a unique opportunity for this team to compete with the best in the world.

The India Rugby sevens team will have a gigantic task on hand when they make their debut at the CWG in New Delhi. Not only will they face top 15 teams from the world, but they have also been pitted against formidable opponents South Africa (World No 2), Wales (rugby seven World Cup champions) and Tonga in their pool.

While excited about participating in the Games, Indian rugby skipper Nasser Hussain is realistic about India’s chances, “India are No 72 in the world and the lowest ranked team in the tournament. We are going to have to compete against the top 15 teams from the world. If we win even one game it will be an upset. This will be a once in a life time opportunity for us and we have a huge opportunity as we get to play the No 2 team (South Africa) in the world.”

Coach Usaia Buimuiwala seconded his captain. “We are up against the best rugby teams in the world, who have been playing the game for decades. We have been improving quite a bit, but there is still a long way to go. We hope to create an upset at the CWG,” he said.

Defending CWG Sevens Champions New Zealand are top seeds and will head Pool A. The All Blacks are yet to lose a game at these Games and look favourites this time as well. They will face Scotland in their opening match and have Canada and Guyana rounding off the pool. New Zealand have won all three Rugby Sevens gold medals so far - in 1998 (Kuala Lumpur), 2002 (Manchester) and 2006 (Melbourne).

Pool B will have hosts India facing 2002 bronze medallists South Africa, reigning rugby World Cup Sevens champions Wales and Tonga.

When asked to identify players who are likely to have an impact in the CWG, Buimuiwala said, “The key players who can make a difference are Nasser, Rohaan Sethna, Hrishikesh Pendse and Amit Lochab. Nasser has the experience and skill, where as Rohaan is the best kicker in the team and takes care of all the converts. Hrishi and Amit are our impact players.”

Reigning IRB Sevens World Series champions Samoa top Pool C and will face Kenya, Uganda and the Papua New Guinea.

The fourth and final pool has arch-rivals England and Australia pitted against each other in the opening tie while Namibia and Sri Lanka round off the competition.

When asked to pick his favourite for the title, Nasser said, “New Zealand are favourites, but I wouldn’t put it past South Africa, Samoa and England to try and topple the invincible All Blacks.”

Buimuiwala said the preparations have been good, “The preparations started early 2009 with trips to South Africa, Fiji and New Zealand. We have been also participating in quite a few international rugby Seven’s tournaments. We won the Istanbul Sevens, Bee’s Sevens in the UK and created a major upset in Shanghai Sevens by beating Chinese Taipei. So, the preparations have been good and the boys are raring to go.”

Realistically, it will be difficult for India to win even a single game. The skipper though said that the hosts have prepared as best as they could, “We are giving it our best shot and our aim is to come up with a win against at least one team.

Preparations are good there is only so much we can do in a year and a half. Like they say ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day’ but this will be a huge opportunity for us and give us a chance to compete against the top teams in the world.”

Nasser said that rugby is a spectator sport, which would be a huge hit and draw in a lot off people as it is fast, exciting and it requires a lot more finesse.
The team had a chance to play two games at Delhi university sports complex in April and June thus giving them a chance to get a feel of the ground, which Nasser reiterates, is up to international standards.