New Delhi: With the home crowd in full voice, India’s U20 Women’s team marked their return to the Asia Rugby Emirates Rugby 7s U20 Championship in emphatic style, by storming into the semi-finals. Not to be outdone, the U20 Men’s team made their mark in the tournament with their first-ever victory over UAE at this level.
The women’s side, coached by Kiano Fourie and captained by Bhumika Shukla, opened with a hard-fought 17–10 win over Kazakhstan. Bihar’s own Guriya Kumari, Anshu Kumari, and Alpana Kumari all crossed the try line to give the hosts the perfect start.
Their momentum only grew in the afternoon with a commanding 31-7 triumph over UAE. Bhumika led from the front with two tries, vice-captain Tanushree Bhosale added one, and Muskan Piploda and Anshu completed the scoring. The result ensured a semi-final berth before the team’s final pool match later in the day against Hong Kong China.
In the men’s competition, Paco Hernandez’s side opened with a landmark 24-17 victory over UAE – the first time India had beaten the Emiratis at U20 level, and their first score against them in five encounters across U18 and U20 categories. Charan Hembram opened the scoring with a try and conversion, with Goldan Kumar and David Munda adding further tries. David’s second late in the game sealed the win despite UAE’s spirited fightback.
Despite putting up a great fight, the men’s team were unable to carry the same momentum into their remaining Pool A fixtures, falling 5-24 to both Sri Lanka and Hong Kong China. Sri Lanka and Hong Kong China topped Pool A while China and Malaysia topped Pool B.
Meanwhile, India’s U20 Women will contest the semi-finals tomorrow, while the men aim to close their campaign on a high in front of home supporters. They will now face Kazakhstan in the race to finish fifth.