The Indian ruggerites had their international baptism by fire. But their captain reckons that the beating they got in their first two matches in the Dubai Sevens International Rugby tournament was needed to know how much ground they need to recover.

"The experience of playing on an international stage was awesome," their captain Chaitanya Sinh said. "It is good to get a spanking and come back better the next time," the 31-year-old from Mumbai said after their team was thrashed 56-0 by Russia. They had a slightly better show in their first game against Georgia when they conceded 36 points.


Chaitanya Sinh, Indian captain.
Sinh, who comes from the Rajput family in Lunawada of Gujarat state, disagrees with cynics that it was a mistake to include India in the International event. "It is always good to know what's out there," he said, adding that the teams like India would only reach the big stage of rugby by playing on it with the fancied teams.

However, he also believes that it would be better for India to play more on the Asian circuit. Because, "Size becomes a huge issue when we play the Europeans," Sinh pointed out. Sinh revealed that the game was growing gradually in India though the spectator interest remains low. "We had 16 teams competing for the All India tournament," he said.

Sinh is also the secretary of the Indian Rugby Football Union. He said so far, they were facing a chicken and egg situation as far as the finance and development of the game was concerned. But, "Now we have been helped financially by the International Rugby Board." Hence, he hopes that Indian rugby will go a long way. "From 1000 we are looking at 100,000 ruggerites in India," he said. Sinh believes that it is a matter of time. "Two to three years, may be."

But to come to the Dubai Sevens, Sinh said they had very little time to prepare themselves mentally as well as physically because it is the off season in India. Besides, the Indians don't get to play so much rugby, certainly not of this standard dished out by the top teams at the Dubai Exiles.

"We were not expecting an invitation from the Dubai Sevens organisers," he said. But he feels that instead of 15s, India would do well in Sevens. "We lack in size but in Sevens we can make it up with speed and creating space."

And, to learn more and more and climb up further, Sinh hopes that the Indian ruggerites would be invited here again in the future.