Odisha Women’s team wins 1st All India Rugby 15s tournament

Odisha Women’s Rugby team emerged as champion of the 1st All India Women’s Rugby 15s tournament, defeating Delhi by 20-0 at Kolkata on Friday.

In the one sided final match, Odisha’s star player Hopi Majhi and Sanjukata Munda scored double try each and took away the match from strong stack holder Delhi.

Led by international player Bhagyalaxmi Barik, Odisha qualified for the final by winning both of their league matches in emphatic style. They beat Young Rugby Club and Jungle Crow 40-0 and 5-0 respectively.

This is the first time a women’s Rugby 15s meet was held simultaneously with men’s event. Six teams took part, three of them from West Bengal. Army Red, Bombay Gymkhana, Delhi Hurricanes, Maharashtra State Police, Jungle Crows are among the participants.

But the Odisha men’s team came a cropper in the 83rd All-India & South Asia Men’s Rugby 15s Tournament, which was conducted simultaneously. They crashed out of the tournament, suffering defeats in both of their league games.

All India Women’s Rugby 15s tournament was organised by the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) – also known as Rugby India, at the Calcutta Cricket and Football Club (CC&FC) grounds.

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