BHUBANESWAR: The first ever Under-16 Rugby tournament organised in Orissa by citybased Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) got a major boost today with well-known actor, social activist and former national player Rahul Bose adding a sparkle to the event and playing a match with the local team.
Bose is currently playing for the Bombay Gymkhana and has retired from the national team in May last, but the ‘unofficial brand ambassador of the game in India’ feels the way the game is picking up, in a couple of years it would see a hundred percent growth in its popularity.
‘‘Earlier, the game was basically restricted to some metros, but with at least 20 cities now pitching in, in the near future, India might go up as an international side to better ranks. Currently the nation ranks 81 in the international Rugby competitions,’’ he adds.
Rugby as thought by majority had never had ‘elitism’ tag to it, Bose says adding after the Indian Army started playing the game some five years ago, one can say now it has percolated to the grassroots. ‘‘As a hard but smart sport, it needs stamina, fitness, agility and knowledge of the game. And now farmers, army jawans, police and para-military personnel are part of the sport,’’ he says.
But lack of sponsorship hurts the ‘star player’, who sees without financial support developing a ‘sporting- culture’ for it is extremely difficult.
‘‘It needs some 50-70 years to develop a game to come to the mainstream like what has happened to cricket, so for Rugby it needs more nurturing and sponsors,’’ he adds.
India’s National Rugby coach Usaia Biumaiwai from Fiji says the apex body Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) is trying to go for more grass-root training and school-based exposure programmes so that the game can gain popularity and acceptance.
However, a ‘good pathway’ starting from schools through universities, clubs and national tournaments must be codified, he suggests adding the IRFU has hired him to build up a team eyeing better results in 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games.
IRFU development manager Nandu Chandrabhakar says the body is making all efforts to get sponsors to take the game and its popularity to new heights in near future so that more would come forward with their help.
Earlier, Bose interacted with tribal students at KISS. Founder of KIIT Group of Institutions A Samanta spoke.
