Think of this game and the first thing that comes to our mind is the raw aggression with beefy men clashing with each other for ball possession. It’s a game meant for the tough. And for we Indians where people just eat, sleep and talk cricket, Rugby is a sport more seen on TV then played on the grounds.
So when one get to see the fairer sex fighting for the ball, displaying some raw power on the grounds, it does come as a surprise. Not anymore though. As with time, things are changing and the sport is gaining considerable following among the girls back home. Though in its infant stage, it’s attracting the attention of the girls from other sports, who are ready to try their hands in a game considered to be a male bastion.
Collecting players from other sports to form a team was how Women’s Rugby started in India some four years ago and thereafter there has been no looking back. Most of the Indian women rugby players belong to different sports backgrounds and were either into football, wrestling, kabbadi, boxing, or other power sports. 
“I was in 10th standard and was already into wrestling and handball in school. But destiny had something else in store as one of the rugby state coaches -- Surhud Khare -- had come to promote the sport in our school and he introduced me to the game. Initially I was little hesitant, but then I thought of giving it a try. Thereafter I got glued to the sport. Now it’s been 3-4 years that I have been playing this sport. It started with very few girls but now the numbers have grown considerably,” reminisces Vahbiz Bharucha. But then she adds that a lot needs to be done to promote this sport in the country.
“It’s sad that the mindset of majority of people in India is cricket oriented. We have a potential to earn medals in the international tournaments, but that cannot be done without the support of authorities concerned and the government. The basic need for us is ground availability, which often hinders our training sessions,” rues Vahbiz, who plays for Pune and have been a part of the Indian team since 2009.
The Pune girls also rues that the name ‘RUGBY’ leads to ground crunch for them. “Whenever we go and seek permission for the ground, people have readymade excuses to deny us the same. They think this to be a sport which will spoil their ground,” adds Vahviz.
But with time, the sport is finding favours among the sports lovers and there has been a fair addition to the infrastructure. In the year 2009, the first ever Indian Women’s Rugby team was formed when the team participated in Asia Women’s Rugby 7’s tournament. Since then the women’s team have been a regular on the International tournaments. Presently, the team is placed 13th in Asia out of a total of 27 participating countries and is 75th in the world. It’s remarkable considering their plight and numbers.
“Some 3-4 years back there were not more than 10-15 girls who would willingly participate in the state and other championships. The craze has gone up and now there is a large number coming to play for the team. Though a lot needs to be done for the promotion of the sport throughout the country,” says Niharika Bal, who plays for Pune and India.
Coming in the way of its popularity in the country are the preconceived notions of people regarding the sport. They think it to be a fierce and relatively manly sport, where you bash and throw people around. But the gals playing the game take it as just another sport. “We really can’t change people’s thinking. It’s not just about bashing each other. The force, aggression and strength that it is associated with is something common to all sports. It’s a lot more fun,” thinks Priyanka Mondal, who was initially an athlete and plays for Jungle Crows (Kolkata), but is currently on rest due to injuries.
The growing popularity of the sport amongst the fairer sex is validated by the fact that this year the numbers of teams participating in the upcoming national championships has gone up to 20 and have been divided into two divisions. In the national championship to be held in Pune this week, teams from Bhubaneswar, J&K, Kerala, Rajasthan, Bihar will rub their shoulders with the champion teams like Pune and Maharashtra. Initially rugby was confined to metros, but now teams from various parts, including Orissa, Bihar, Rajasthan, J&K particpate.
“Belonging to a state like J&K, where majority of people in the society want the girls to get into conventional and stereotypical jobs, it is even a bigger challenge to play the game and promote it further. I have been into the sport since the last four years and now I coach the women’s team along with the chief coach Irfan Aziz. It all started with a bunk in college. I was on the ground and a coach was there to introduce the game. Initially I found it a bit unusual but later on started liking it. At the moment there are about 300-400 girls in J&K who play rugby and the number is more than the men’s participation in the state. It is sad that our country is so obsessed with just cricket”, says Solilah Yousuf, who plays for J&K Belmount. 
Captain of last year’s Indian team Surabhi Date too has a story. Been into tennis and football since childhood, she happened to join KFANDRA, (which is now named as RFS), a Pune based Rugby and Football academy headed by Rugby coach Surhud Khare in ninth grade and that was here beginning. “I got into this sport through the academy. Now there is no football or any other sport other than rugby for me. This sport is very popular in Mumbai, Pune and Kolkata. Infact, the national team is usually featured by more than five players from Pune itself. There has been number of rugby promotional workshops in Pune in the last two years. It’s on a developing stage as of now, but in coming years it will undergo a massive transformation,” hopes Surabhi.
However, women Rugby awaits government support, massive promotional drive and a changed mindset of people if it needs to grow considerably.
By Akshi Aggarwal
Indian Sports News