Indian Rugby Union Team is representing India in rugby union. India is currently Division 3 champion of Asian 5 Nations. The Indian national rugby union team was admitted to the IRB in 2001, but it took three years before India managed to win a match, beating Pakistan 56-3 in the third tier competition of the Asian Biennial tournament.
In 2005, the players of Indian Rugby union started their attempt to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, but a 22-36 loss to Kazakhstan sent them out of the running for that tournament. They also disappointed with an 8-8 tie in Guam, but still finished second in their group of four teams thanks to beating Malaysia 48-12. However, as only the top team in the group qualified for the next stage, India was out. Their current record in IRB-recognized internationals is ten wins, one tie, and twenty-four losses.
History of Indian Rugby Union Team
Rugby Union in India began its journey from the British era. The journey began with scratch match or two played in Kolkata and Madras during the visit of MS Galatea in 1871. The first recorded match was played on Christmas Day 1872, at CFC in Kolkata. It was played between England and a combined team of Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Modern Rugby Team in India
The national team of modern rugby in India was not started till 1998 however when the India national team played Singapore in Singapore, they lost 85-0. The team was then admitted into the International Rugby Board in 2001 and then in 2003 the team undertook its first UK tour. This consisted of playing three sides from the Midlands which all resulted in large defeats, including a staggering 153-0 defeat from a Leicester Tigers XV at Welford Road. They also failed to score a single try during their visit.
Indian Rugby Union Team in 2007
In 2007, Indian Rugby Union Team attempted to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup in France, Scotland, and Wales. They were placed in Asian Division 3, Pool B for the qualifiers in which India finished second of four teams with 1 win, 1 tie, and 1 loss. As only the first place team moved on to the second qualification round, India was officially knocked out of the 2007 World Cup.
Indian Rugby Union Team in 2008
In 2008, the India Rugby Union Team attempted to qualify for the Rugby World Cup again. This time though qualification was different as instead of the group stage India had to play in the 2008 Asian Five Nations and win it in order to move on to Round 2 in qualification. India though lost their first match against Thailand and had to settle for 3rd place after a 2nd place match win against Pakistan in which India achieved their biggest ever victory as they beat Pakistan 92-0.
Stadiums of Indian Rugby Union Team
The Indian Rugby Union Team does not have its own personal stadium to use. When they play they usually do on local university fields throughout India.
Jersey of Indian Rugby Union Team
Indian Rugby Union Team have worn dark blue and black for all of their Rugby Union games since 2011 and prior to that, from 1998-2010, they used the traditional Indian sports colors of light blue and white. At present, the shirt and socks are dark blue, while the shorts are black.
