India national rugby union team
India national rugby union team is a national team that represents India in the international rugby championships and matches. It is governed by Rugby India organization which is recognised by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports of government of India.
| Union | Rugby India | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Head coach | Naas Botha | ||
| Captain | Vikas Khatri | ||
| |||
| World Rugby ranking | |||
| Current | 86 (as of 3rd July 2023) | ||
| First international | |||
| Singapore 85–0 India (26 October 1998) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
| India 92–0 Pakistan (14 June 2008) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
| Singapore 85–0 India (26 October 1998) | |||
It was admitted to the IRB in 2001, but it took three years before India won a match, beating Pakistan 56–3 in the third tier competition of the Asian Biennial tournament.
In 2005, they started their attempt to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, but a 22–36 loss to Kazakhstan sent them out of the running for that tournament. They also were disappointed with an 8–8 tie in Guam, but still managed to finish second in their group of four teams thanks to beating Malaysia 48–12. However, as only the top team in the group qualified for the next stage, India were out.