Gwalior (Madhya Pradesh) [India], February 13 : The Sub Junior Girls team from Maharashtra proved their mettle as they emerged winners, beating seasoned champions, Bihar at the recently concluded 9th Sub Junior National Rugby Sevens Championships 2024 held at Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE) in Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior, as stated in a release from Rugby India.
Maharashtra beat Bihar 17-5 in the finals with pivotal help from Shravani Patil who leaves the competition as the top scorer of the championship. With 14 total tries at the event, the young girl from Maharashtra leads the next generation of rugby players that will look for a spot on the women's national team, including Komal Kumari (Bihar), Niha (Kerala) and Chahat (Chandigarh).
This event marked a significant milestone for Indian Rugby, with the introduction of contact rugby for the Sub-Junior cohort of players (U15). This gradual transition from touch rugby to contact rugby is consistent with the federation's ambition to strengthen the Indian national age-grade teams, as they lock horns against teams at the Asian frontier.
Winning this championship puts the spotlight on the girls from Maharashtra as they make up a formidable case for the senior women's team in the years to come, having already played contact rugby.
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra beat Delhi, eventually placing third, 27-10, while Bihar ousted Rajasthan 20-5 in the semi-finals. The tournament was held by the Indian Rugby Football Union (Rugby India) over two days, with 21 teams participating in the U15 Girls category.
The U/15 boys will compete for the crown at the Sub-Junior National Rugby Sevens Championships 2024, with Bihar once again the clear favourite. The championship will run from February 15th to February 16th, 2025, at Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE), Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh.
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