rugby

To take up rugby in India is to take the road less travelled. While the men’s game is slowly becoming popular, it is still largely unacceptable for the family when a woman decides to play the sport.

“Being a girl I was always told to quit playing rugby by my family,” said 21-year-old Himani Dutt. “They feared that no one would marry me if I got injured or messed up my face. But that didn’t prevent me from achieving my goal of playing for the nation,” she added.

Dutt’s rugby journey started almost seven years ago with the Delhi Hurricanes Rugby Football Club and last year it culminated with the youngster making her senior India debut.

Dutt’s isn’t the only story of perseverance — she among many who have found support from the Delhi Hurricanes Rugby Football Club.

“The club supported me right from the grassroots level and at every turn of my life,” said Priya Bansal, the current captain of the Hurricanes’ women’s team.

“If it hadn’t been for them my conservative family would have got me married in my early 20s, just like my elder sister,” added the 26-year-old.

Bansal rose up the ranks to make her India debut in 2013. “It took me ages to persuade my family to let me continue playing and now here I am — part of the Indian team. And now everything feels like it is going the right way,” she said.

The beginning

In fact, Delhi Hurricanes Rugby Football Club has nurtured and churned out over 50 players for the Indian teams in various categories since its inception in July 2004.

“Our story dates back to 1995 when the Delhi Rugby Football Club was formed,” said Hurricanes head coach Kuldeep Singh Bist. “Nine years later, Delhi Hurricanes came into being.”

In 2004, Delhi Rugby Football Club was divided into two clubs — Delhi Lions Rugby Club and Delhi Hurricanes Rugby Football Club.

Tucked away in New Delhi’s Vasant Kunj area, the Hurricanes slowly rose up the ladder in the national circuit. “After the initial struggles, we have been touching new heights,” Bist said.

The Hurricanes first tasted success when they won the Division II trophy in the Callaghan Cup in 2009. In 2011, the club got a full-size rugby field and started an academy. “Having been a national team player myself, I wanted to see the sport grow. I wanted the club to bring laurels. More importantly, I wanted to see the club’s trainees playing for the national team,” the 53-year-old Bist said.

Titles

Gradually, Bist’s dream started coming true. In 2014, the club finished runners-up behind Army Red in the All India and South East Asia Rugby Tournament. In 2015 and 2016, they finished third and second, respectively.

However, come 2017 and the wait was finally over as the Hurricanes captured both the men’s and women’s titles — becoming the first club in India to achieve the feat. The men went on to defend the crown for two years on the trot against 15-time winners Bombay Gymkhana, while the women finished runners-up to Odisha in 2018.

Not only at the club level, the Hurricanes’ presence was felt in the national team as well. The Indian men’s team captain, Vikas Khatari, and women’s team skipper, Namita Bhoj, have come from Delhi Hurricanes. In 2019, 10 players each from the Hurricanes’ men’s and women’s teams were selected for the senior national squads.

“My trainees have really hit new heights in the last few years. It is because of the spirit we share at the Hurricanes,” Bist said.

Money issues

What makes Hurricanes’ achievements even more remarkable is that the club runs on a low budget. In fact, the coaches and players have other jobs to take care of their monetary needs. And many help the club out whenever they can. Bist is an administrative officer at the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). Another coach is a farmer and also runs a gym, while one is a physical education teacher at a government missionary school.

“There was a time when the club didn’t charge any fee from its recruits but later, due to difficult times, we had to ask for token money from the children,” said Bist. Once, actor Sidharth Malhotra also chipped in for his boyhood club.

Last year, the club tied up with England’s Leicester Tigers. Bist said the club will benefit from the tie-up as it will get training equipment and exposure trips to England.

However, the financial problems have persisted. “As long as there’s passion, people will continue to join the club,” Bist said. “But as of now we are dragging along without much support from the Delhi Government or the rugby association. I can’t say how long it will last, maybe a few more years,” he added.

Despite the hardships, the Hurricanes do their part in spreading interest in the sport. They hold workshops for NGOs, training children of different age groups. They also provide coaches to Delhi’s rugby association to train children.