Asian Rugby Sevens Olympic Qualifiers 2023: Indian women's rugby team lose in plate final, men finish seventh

Only top teams receive direct entry for Paris 2024.

The Indian men's and women's rugby teams returned empty-handed from the Asian Rugby Sevens Olympic Qualifiers 2023 held at the Yodoko Sakura Stadium in Osaka, Japan over the weekend, as they failed to secure a spot for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The men’s rugby team finished seventh out of eight teams, while the Indian women’s rugby team ended up eighth out of 12 teams in the tournament, which offered only one direct qualification spot for each gender.

However the second and third-placed teams will have another chance to qualify through the final Olympic qualification tournament in 2024, but India will have to wait for another four years to try their luck again. The Indian teams faced stiff competition from the likes of Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Kazakhstan, who have been dominating the Asian rugby scene for years.

The Japanese women’s rugby team clinched the Olympic berth by beating the Republic of China 21-14 in the final, while the Hong Kong China men’s rugby team did the same by edging out Japan 19-14 in a thrilling encounter.

The Indian women’s rugby team, which had shown some promise in the recent Asian Games and the Asia Rugby Sevens Trophy, could not replicate their form in the qualifier. They finished third in their four-team pool, after losing heavily to China (0-62) and Hong Kong, China (5-29) and managing a narrow win over Guam (28-21).

They then faced Kazakhstan in the plate final, where they were thrashed 39-0 by the Central Asian side, who had also beaten them in the Asian Games.

Meanwhile, the Indian men’s rugby team, which had missed the Asian Games had a tough draw in the qualifier, as they were pitted against the top three teams in Asia - Japan, China, and the Republic of Korea.

The team suffered heavy defeats in all their pool matches, conceding more than 40 points in each game. They then faced Singapore in the seventh-place playoff encounter, where they managed to salvage some pride by winning 12-7, thanks to a 'try' by captain Gautam Dagar and a conversion and penalty by Prince Khatri.

The Indian men’s team coach, Naas Botha said he was proud of the team’s spirit and resilience, but admitted that they had a long way to go to compete with the best in Asia.

“We knew it was going to be a tough challenge, but we did not give up. We fought hard and showed some character. We have a lot of areas to improve, especially our defense, ball handling, and decision-making. We need more exposure and more support to grow the game in India. We have a lot of talent and potential, but we need to nurture it and develop it,” he said.

Both the Indian men’s and women’s rugby teams have never qualified for the Olympic Games, which introduced rugby sevens as a medal sport in 2016. The teams have been struggling to get adequate funding, training, and exposure, as rugby remains a niche sport in India, where cricket, hockey, and football are more popular.

The teams have also been hampered by the lack of a proper domestic structure, as the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has been unable to organize regular tournaments and camps for the players.