New Delhi:
The Indian men's Rugby team, captained by skipper Gautam Dagar, defeated arch-rivals Pakistan 14-12 to secure the 7th rank at the Asia Men's Rugby Sevens Trophy held at Aspire Rugby Field in Doha, Qatar.
The team participated under the aegis of the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the governing body for the sport of Rugby in India, and is supported by Societe Generale, the financial partner of Rugby India.
A total of 11 countries from across Asia including Singapore, Pakistan, Jordan, Philippines, Nepal, UAE, India, Thailand, Iran, Bangladesh and the host Qatar vied for top honours in the Asia Men's Rugby Sevens Trophy, which was held on Friday and Saturday.
Philippines won the Asia Men's Rugby Sevens Trophy and secured a place in the Asia Rugby Sevens Series, which will feature three legs and will be played between 1st September to 14th October 2017.
In the first round on day one, India were beaten by UAE twice by 19-12 and 45-0 respectively.
On day two in the cup quarter finals, India lost to Singapore by 19-7 and in the 5th & 6th placing semi-final India lost to Iran by 17-5. In the last match, Indian team defeated Pakistan by 14-12 and secured a 7th rank in the tournament.
Speaking on the occasion Mahesh Mathai, Secretary General, Rugby India said, "Our men's team tried their best in this tournament. We are taking back learnings from here and we will work harder towards improving the team's performance for the forthcoming international championships."
