In a hard-fought final staged in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on Sunday, India took silver in the Asia Rugby U18 Girls Rugby Sevens Championship 2021, losing 21-17 to the United Arab Emirates.
Nandini led India with seven points in the final, while Aditi Kumari and Tarulata Nair each contributed five points to the Indian total. There were three ties apiece for both teams. Carmela Morralla led UAE with nine points, Hannah Lear added seven, and Lara Botha added five.
In the semi-final, India defeated Kazakhstan 24-7, with Sapna Kumari leading the way with 10 points, including two tries. Tarulata Naik led the team with nine points, followed by Arti Kumari with five.
India began the two-day tournament with a 12-10 loss to Kazakhstan on Saturday. The tournament featured five teams: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, UAE, India, and hosts Uzbekistan and was played in an all-play-all round-robin format. Vaishnavi Dattatray Patil scored 15 points from three tries to help the girls whitewash Kyrgyzstan 63-0 and upset hosts Uzbekistan 20-5.
They finished third in the five-team division and qualified for the semi-finals after losing 20-12 to UAE girls on Sunday.
“This is a tremendous moment for Indian Rugby,” stated Rahul Bose, actor, director, philanthropist, and board member of Rugby India, speaking at the event. “In the final, both teams (UAE and India) scored three tries. It’s no disgrace to lose like that.'”
“The fact that our U18 girls’ squad performed so well is even more surprising given that they were only 15 years old when the pandemic struck. They have never competed in a national tournament, much less an international one. It is a credit to their ability, courage, and determination to make their country proud that they have made it this far. Thank you to the coaching and the supporting staff for their efforts. Only rugby players understand the significance of their position in the game. For Indian Rugby, it’s a new day. From here, we’ll continue onward and higher.” In a statement released by Rugby India, Bose was quoted as saying.
According to Vikram Ahuja, President of Rugby India, “Congratulations to our U18 Girls team on an outstanding performance that shown courage, skill, and mental resilience far beyond their years. This is the first in the series of steps that Rugby India has made and will continue to take in order to develop all of our teams into worldwide competitors. Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to the coaches, support personnel, and all of our sponsors and partners for their dedication and kind support in helping the team reach this milestone.” As per an article from The Times Of India.
