Rugby union in India
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
is currently a minor sport in India
. However it is a fast growing sport as some Indian sporting clubs are beginning to embrace the game. It is the second most popular winter sport after association football in India, which itself trails greatly in popularity to cricket
and field hockey
.
India is rated 75th as of November 27, 2010, with 22,282 registered players, 6883 of whom are female.
i game, yubi lakpi
is still played in the East of India. Emma Levine, an English writer on little known Asian sports, speculates:
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.
and brought to India during the British Raj
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 Madra
s 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. 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. 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.
Indian delegates were amongst those who went to the centenary congress of the International Rugby Football Board
in 1986.
Currently, there are 17,874 registered players in the country and India are ranked 84th out of 95 nations in the IRB (International Rugby Board) world rankings. The home of rugby in India is considered to be Kolkata
.
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 saw the downslide of the game and it 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.
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 Rupee
s, 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.
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:
once 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.
The Cup is currently held by Jungle Crows who beat CC&FC
The second division trophy was won by Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
Panthers.
India is an active participant in the Commonwealth Sevens, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
, held in Delhi
will be featuring the sport.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
is currently a minor sport in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. However it is a fast growing sport as some Indian sporting clubs are beginning to embrace the game. It is the second most popular winter sport after association football in India, which itself trails greatly in popularity to cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
.
India is rated 75th as of November 27, 2010, with 22,282 registered players, 6883 of whom are female.
Prehistory
India, like many other countries, had a few forms of folk football. Most of these have died out, but a ManipurManipur
Manipur is a state in northeastern India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. Manipur is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west; it also borders Burma to the east. It covers an area of...
i game, yubi lakpi
Yubi lakpi
Yubi lakpi is a seven-a-side traditional football game played in Manipur, India, using a coconut, which has some notable similarities to rugby. Despite these similarities, the name is not related to the game of rugby or Rugby School in England, it is in fact of Manipuri origin, and means literally...
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."
However, traditional football games can be found in many parts of the world, e.g. marn grook
Marn Grook
Marn Grook , literally meaning "Game ball", is a collective name given to a number of traditional Indigenous Australian recreational pastimes believed to have been played at gatherings and celebrations of up to 50 players. It is often confused with a separate indigenous game resembling Association...
in Australia, cuju
Cuju
Cuju is an ancient code of football with similarities to association football. It is seen by some to be a forerunner of modern football and originated in China, and was also played in Korea, Japan and Vietnam.-History:...
in China and calcio Fiorentino
Calcio Fiorentino
Calcio Fiorentino was an early form of football that originated in 16th century Italy. The Piazza Santa Croce of Florence is the cradle of this sport, that became known as giuoco del calcio fiorentino or simply calcio .The official rules of calcio were published for the first time in 1580 by...
in Italy and Levine provides no documentary or material evidence of its antiquity.
British Raj period
Like other sports founded in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and brought to India during the British Raj
British Raj
British Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
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 Madra
Madra
Madra, Mada or Madraka is the name of an ancient region and its inhabitants, located in the north-west division of the ancient Indian sub-continent.-Uttaramadra division:...
s during the visit of H.M.S. Galatea
HMS Galatea (1859)
HMS Galatea was an Ariadne class 26-gun sixth rate wooden screw frigate launched in 1859 and broken up 1883. In 1866 she went on a world cruise, under the command of Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh....
in 1871. The teak goal posts used on the occasion of the Calcutta Match were afterward used by the C.F.C.
Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club located in Ballygunge, South Kolkata, is a cricket and association football club with rugby, hockey, swimming and tennis sections as well in Kolkata , West Bengal, India...
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. 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. 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
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. 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
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
in 1986.
Currently, there are 17,874 registered players in the country and India are ranked 84th out of 95 nations in the IRB (International Rugby Board) world rankings. The home of rugby in India is considered to be Kolkata
Kolkata
Kolkata , formerly known as Calcutta, is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the east bank of the Hooghly River, it was the commercial capital of East India...
.
Calcutta Cup
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
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
Rugby Football Union
The Rugby Football Union was founded in 1871 as the governing body for the sport of rugby union, and performed as the international governing body prior to the formation of the International Rugby Board in 1886...
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 saw the downslide of the game and it 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.
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 Rupee
Rupee
The rupee is the common name for the monetary unit of account in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Pakistan, Mauritius, Seychelles, Maldives, and formerly in Burma, and Afghanistan. Historically, the first currency called "rupee" was introduced in the 16th century...
s, 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.
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
Howdah
A howdah, or houdah, also known as hathi howdah, is a carriage which is positioned on the back of an elephant, or occasionally some other animal, used most often in the past to carry wealthy people or for use in hunting or warfare...
. 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
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
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 RajBritish RajBritish Raj was the British rule in the Indian subcontinent between 1858 and 1947; The term can also refer to the period of dominion...
."
The other Calcutta Cup
In 1884 Calcutta Cricket and Football ClubCalcutta Cricket and Football Club
The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club located in Ballygunge, South Kolkata, is a cricket and association football club with rugby, hockey, swimming and tennis sections as well in Kolkata , West Bengal, India...
once 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.
The Cup is currently held by Jungle Crows who beat CC&FC
The second division trophy was won by Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
Calcutta Cricket and Football Club
The Calcutta Cricket and Football Club located in Ballygunge, South Kolkata, is a cricket and association football club with rugby, hockey, swimming and tennis sections as well in Kolkata , West Bengal, India...
Panthers.
2010 Commonwealth Games - Delhi, India
| Men's Rugby Sevens | New Zealand | Australia | South Africa |
India is an active participant in the Commonwealth Sevens, and the 2010 Commonwealth Games
2010 Commonwealth Games
The 2010 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XIX Commonwealth Games, were held in Delhi, India, from 3 to 14 October 2010. A total of 6,081 athletes from 71 Commonwealth nations and dependencies competed in 21 sports and 272 events, making it the largest Commonwealth Games till date...
, held in Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
will be featuring the sport.
See also
- Indian Rugby Football UnionIndian Rugby Football UnionIndian Rugby Football Union is the governing body for rugby union in India. It was founded in 1968 and became affiliated to the International Rugby Board in 2001. In April 2009 the Indian Rugby Football Union changed its name to Rugby India and its logo became a sun. In 2009 Rugby India for the...
- India national rugby union teamIndia national rugby union teamThe Indian national rugby union team is a national rugby team representing the country of India in international competition. It is ranked 75th in the world , out of 95teams. Their captain is Nasser Hussain, nicknamed "Nino" and they are currently being coached by South Africans Norman Laker and...
- Sport in IndiaSport in IndiaSports in India include cricket, chess, badminton, field hockey, tennis, association football and golf. Field Hockey is the official national sport in India, and the country has eight olympic gold medals in field hockey, though cricket is the most popular. Other popular sports include football,...
- Iain LaughlandIain LaughlandIan Hugh Page Laughland was a Scottish rugby player, who played for and London Scottish FC. He was a fly half, and took over from Gordon Waddell. He was capped 31 times between 1959-1967.McLaren says of a game against in 1960...
, born Mumbai. - Maurice McCanlisMaurice McCanlisMaurice Alfred McCanlis was an English sportsman who played first-class cricket for Oxford University and represented England at rugby union....
- Arthur TurnerArthur Turner (cricketer)Arthur Jervois Turner was an English cricketer, rugby union player and soldier. A right-handed batsman, right-arm underarm medium pace bowler and occasional wicket-keeper, he played first-class cricket for various teams between 1897 and 1914, predominately for Essex. He also played for the Egypt...