Rugby Sevens: Junior Nationals on June 10 and 11

Defending champion Odisha will look to retain its title and will face stiff competition from Tamil Nadu, the runner-up from last year’s edition.

The tournament will serve as a platform for selection for the Indian national Under-17 and Under-18 teams that will compete at international tournaments later this year.

The annual Societe Generale Junior National Rugby Sevens Championship will be held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai, on June 10 and 11. The tournament is organised by the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU), also known as Rugby India, in association with Societe Generale, the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and the Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union (TNRFU).

The competition will feature a total of 21 States, each represented by teams in the Under-18 boys and girls categories. The participating States are Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and the host, Tamil Nadu.

Defending champion Odisha will look to retain its title and will face stiff competition from Tamil Nadu, the runner-up from last year’s edition.

The tournament will serve as a platform for selection for the Indian national Under-17 and Under-18 teams that will compete at international tournaments later this year. The national Under-18 girls team will participate in the World Games — Rugby Sevens in Paris, France on July 8 and 9.

The national Under-17 boys and girls teams will participate at the Youth Olympic Games Qualifiers on September 9 and 10 in Chinese Taipei and November 29 and 30 in Dubai, respectively.

Commenting on the occasion, Aga Hussain, Vice President of Rugby India and Asia Rugby said, “Rugby is growing at a rapid rate across Asia and in particular across India. We will largely focus on increasing national age-grade tournaments and participation in international age-grade Rugby tournaments, which will ultimately help us popularise the sport and build a strong national team to compete at a global level.”

Raj Satyen, President Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union said, “We have put Tamil Nadu on World Rugby’s map by successfully hosting two International events in Chennai. We hosted the Asian Pre-Qualifier for the 2016 Rio Olympics in March 2015 and the Asia Rugby Sevens Series in February 2016. We are delighted to extend our full support to all the visiting State teams and wish the boys and girls all the very best for the championship.”