Rugby union in India

Sport in India

Rugby union in India

Country|  India
Governing body| Rugby India
National team(s)|

* India national rugby union team
* India women's national rugby union team

Club competitions

Rugby Premier League (2025–present)

Rugby union in India is a minor sport. However, it is a fast-growing sport as some Indian sporting clubs are beginning to embrace the game. Rugby union was the second most popular winter sport after association football in India, but now it is played in the shadow of the football team.

As of October 2024, India was ranked 89th in the World Rugby Rankings.[1] As of 2016, India had 57,000 registered players,[2] up from 24,010 in 2012, 7,160 of whom were female.[3]

The governing body is Rugby India.[4]

## History

[edit]

### Pre-history

[edit]

India, like many other countries, had a few forms of folk football. Most of these have died out, but a Manipuri game, yubi lakpi is still played in the East of India. Emma Levine, an English writer on little-known Asian sports, speculates:

"Perhaps this was the root of modern rugby? Most Manipuris are quite adamant that the modern world 'stole' the idea from them and made it into rugby... this game, which has been around for centuries, is so similar to rugby, which evolved a great deal later, that it must be more than a coincidence."[5]

However, traditional football games can be found in many parts of the world, e.g. marn grook in Australia, cuju in China and calcio Fiorentino in Italy and Levine provides no documentary or material evidence of its antiquity.

### British India

[edit]

An 1875 painting of rugby being played by Europeans in Calcutta (today Kolkata). Western sports were first adopted in India during British rule.[6]

Like other sports founded in England and brought to India during the British Rule such as cricket, rugby union has a long history in India. The earliest trace of Rugby Football in India dates back to a scratch match or two played in Calcutta and Madras during the visit of H.M.S. Galatea in 1871. The teak goal posts used on the occasion of the Calcutta Match were afterward used by the C.F.C. up to at least 1886.

The first recorded match was played on Christmas Day 1872, at CFC in Calcutta, it was played between England and a combined team of Scotland, Ireland and Wales.[7] The game caught on and had to be repeated within the week.

The game was now established. In January 1873, officers were appointed and the Club Rolls gave a total of 137 members. The Club colours were chosen as red and white, broad stripes.

From then on, rugby in India, lingered on at a very low key.[8][9] Part of the reason for this was that the British preferred to play apart from their colonial subjects, leading to a low take up by the local population. Another reason was the climate, which meant that games would frequently have to be played in the evenings or early morning, which meant that it was not too popular with the colonists themselves.

### 20th and 21st Centuries

[edit]

At its lowest ebb, in the 1980s, the Indian RFU was being run out of the Irish Consulate at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club's chambers.[8] However, a fairly successful campaign in the 1990s put the game back on its feet.

Indian delegates were amongst those who went to the centenary congress of the International Rugby Football Board in 1986.[10]

### Calcutta Cup

[edit]

Main article: Calcutta Cup

The Other Calcutta Cup Trophy Champions Trophy of All India & South Asia Rugby Tournament A women's rugby match in progress during the All India and South Asia Rugby Tournament

On Christmas Day 1872, a game of rugby, between 20 players representing England on the one side and 20 representing Scotland, Ireland and Wales on the other, was played in Calcutta.

The match was such a success that it was repeated a week later — the game of rugby had reached India. These lovers of rugby wanted to form a club in the area and the aforementioned matches were the agents which led to the formation of the Calcutta Football Club in January 1873.

The Calcutta Club joined the Rugby Football Union in 1874. Despite the Indian climate not being entirely suitable for playing rugby, the club prospered during that first year. However, when the free bar had to be discontinued, the membership took an appreciable drop. Other sports, such as tennis and polo, which were considered to be more suited to the local climate, were making inroads into the numbers of players available.

In 1877 the game declined and almost died out, leaving behind a full coffer. The wise G.A.J. Rothney, who had been acting as Captain, Hon. Secretary and Treasurer of the Club at that time, proposed that the funds should be devoted to the purchase of a cup of Indian workmanship to be offered to the Rugby Football Union- the parent body of the game worldwide. The withdrawal of these monies was done in the form of silver coins which were then melted to craft the exquisite Calcutta Cup.[8]

The members decided to disband but keen to perpetuate the name of the club, they withdrew the club's funds from the bank; which were in Silver Rupees, had them melted down and made into a cup which they presented to the RFU in 1878, with the provision that it should be competed for annually.[8]

The cup is of Indian workmanship, approximately 18 inches (45 cm) high, the body is finely engraved with three king cobras forming the handles. The domed lid is surmounted by an elephant which is, it is said, copied from the Viceroy's own stock and is complete with a howdah. The inscription on the Cup's wooden base reads: THE CALCUTTA CUP.

This historical legacy has not been universally well-received, in fact, Sean Smith, whose book The Union Game: A Rugby History accompanied the BBC TV series of the same name, has said of it that:

"It speaks volumes for the traditions of class prejudice in England and Scotland that the two countries play each year for a trophy made in the Raj."[11]

### The other Calcutta Cup

[edit]

In 1884 Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CC&FC) again set up a rugby section and in 1890 set up an inter club trophy, the Calcutta Rugby Union Challenge Cup, promptly christened the Calcutta Cup.[12]

The cup is held by Jungle Crows who beat CC&FC. The second division trophy was won by Calcutta Cricket and Football Club Panthers.[13]

### All India and South Asia Rugby Tournament

[edit]

Main article: All India & South Asia Rugby Tournament

The All India and South Asia Rugby Tournament is an amateur league competition for rugby union football clubs in India. The competition has been played since 1924. In 2016 12 team took part in the tournament and Army Red were the champions.[14] For the first time women will be participating in the Rugby XVs, there were 6 teams.[15]

### 2010 Commonwealth Games - Delhi, India

[edit]

Main article: Rugby sevens at the 2010 Commonwealth Games

Event  | Gold  | Silver  | Bronze

|
|
|

Men's Rugby Sevens | New Zealand  | Australia  | South Africa

India is an active participant in the Commonwealth Sevens, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, held in Delhi featured the sport.

## National teams

[edit]

Further information: India national rugby union team, India women's national rugby union team, India national rugby sevens team, and India women's national rugby sevens team

In June 2019, the India women's team registered their first victory in only their third-ever international match, when they defeated Singapore in the 2019 Asia Rugby Women's Championship.[16][17] Team member Sweety Kumari, who was in excellent form during the tournament was declared as the 'International Young Player Of The Year' by Scrumqueens magazine.[18][19]

## See also

[edit]

* Rugby Premier League
* Indian Rugby Football Union
* India national rugby union team
* India national rugby sevens team
* India women's national rugby union team
* India women's national rugby sevens team
* Bangalore rugby football club
* Rahul Bose
* Sport in India

## External links

[edit]

* IRB India page
* Indian Rugby Football Union
* India rugby
* Rugby in Asia India Homepage
* "Islam and Rugby" on the Rugby Readers review
* (in French) Archives du Rugby: Inde
* Indian rugby has capacity to inspire

## Bibliography

[edit]

* Bath, Richard, ed. (1997). Complete Book of Rugby. Seven Oaks Ltd. ISBN 1-86200-013-1.
* Levine, Emma A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat (ISBN 0233050418)
* Richards, Huw A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union (Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh, 2007, ISBN 978-1-84596-255-5)
* Tony Collins (2006). "Schism 1893–1895". Rugby's great split: class, culture and the origins of rugby league football (2nd ed.). Routlage. ISBN 0-415-39616-6. Archived from the original on 3 May 2023.
* Smith, Sean The Union Game: A Rugby History
* Starmer-Smith, Nigel (ed) Rugby – A Way of Life, An Illustrated History of Rugby (Lennard Books, 1986 ISBN 0-7126-2662-X)
* "FROM THE VAULTS — IN 1877 THE RFU WERE SENT A LETTER…". worldrugbymuseum.com. 6 March 2017. Archived from the original on 4 February 2023. Retrieved 27 November 2020.
* Mukherjee, Shayani (26 September 2016). "CCFC celebrates 225years of its existence with glory and pride". millenniumpost.in. Kolkata: The Millennium Post India. Archived from the original on 9 October 2023. Retrieved 26 January 2023.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ worldrugby.org. "Women's and Men's Rankings". www.world.rugby. Retrieved 3 October 2024.
2. ^ Staff Reporter (25 September 2016). "Rahul's rugby dreams". The Telegraph. ABP. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
3. ^ IRB.com retrieved 6 June 2012
4. ^ "Home". rugbyindia.in. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
5. ^ Levine, Emma A Game of Polo with a Headless Goat (ISBN 0233050418); pp. 275-6.
6. ^ Love, Adam; Dzikus, Lars (26 February 2020). "How India came to love cricket, favored sport of its colonial British rulers". The Conversation. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
7. ^ Brenkley, Stephen (20 January 2002). "Meet Charlie — from the Bengal branch of the Van der Guchts". independent.co.uk. London: The Independent UK. Archived from the original on 7 July 2022. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
8. ^ a b c d Bath, Richard (ed.) The Complete Book of Rugby (Seven Oaks Ltd, 1997 ISBN 1-86200-013-1) p68
9. ^ Drennan, Jonathan (16 May 2020). "The rugby club in Kolkata that has given hope to 3,500 street children". thegurdian.com. London: The Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 August 2022. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
10. ^ Starmer-Smith, p186
11. ^ Smith, Sean The Union Game: A Rugby History, p36
12. ^ Calcutta Cricket and Football Club history Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
13. ^ "Scrum.com report". Archived from the original on 23 October 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
14. ^ A Staff Reporter (25 September 2016). "Rahul's rugby dreams". No. Kolkata. ABP. The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 30 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
15. ^ "Twelve teams to compete in All India and South Asia Rugby Championships". No. Sify News. IANS. 16 September 2016. Archived from the original on 13 October 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
16. ^ "Historic win for Indian women's rugby team | More sports News - Times of India". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
17. ^ "Indian Women's Rugby Team Makes History with First Ever International Win". Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
18. ^ "Sweety Kumari is Rugby's 'International Young Player of the Year' - SheThePeople TV". Archived from the original on 8 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
19. ^ "This 19-year-old girl from Bihar is rugby's 'international young player of year'". 6 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.

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