Bihar crowned U18 Boys’ champions at the Junior National Rugby 7s Championship 2025. (Photo credit: Rugby India)
Bihar were crowned U18 Boys’ champions at the 10th Junior National Rugby 7s Championship 2025, defeating defending champions Odisha in a thrilling final at the Maharana Pratap Sports College, Dehradun.
This victory completed a remarkable double for Bihar, who had also captured the Girls’ U18 crown earlier this week – mirroring their golden sweep from 2022.
The final was a fitting climax to the competition, featuring two of the most consistent junior rugby teams in India. Goldan Kumar opened the scoring for Bihar with a try and conversion, but Odisha roared back through tries from Mantu Tudu, Subash Hansdah, and Eswar Pujari to take what appeared to be an unassailable lead.
Sunny Kumar pulled one back for Bihar before Goldan stepped up once again – scoring the winning try in the dying moments to seal the title with a 17-15 win.
Having already beaten Odisha in the Khelo India Youth Games Boys’ final (14-12) earlier this year, Bihar once again had the edge when it mattered most.
Their unbeaten campaign included wins over Chandigarh (49-0) and Haryana (62-0) in the group stage, a 29-0 Round of 16 win over Punjab, a 39-0 quarterfinal win against West Bengal, and a hard-fought 10-5 semifinal victory over Maharashtra.
Before the final, Maharashtra edged out Delhi in a thrilling third-place playoff to secure the bronze medal. Atharv Palkar’s try and conversion put Maharashtra in control early on, but Javed Khan and Pushpender responded for Delhi with a try and a try-conversion combo to flip the score.
With the match level late in the second half, Saurabh Sanjay Rajput scored a try to tie it, and later clinched the match – and the podium spot – with a golden try.
For Delhi, this fourth-place finish adds to their recent upward trajectory in junior rugby, following a 7th place finish in 2024.
Mr. Rahul Bose, President of the Indian Rugby Football Union, said:
“The Junior Nationals are the window into the future of Indian Rugby. The various aspects we witnessed here in Dehradun – skill levels, structure patterns, composure under pressure – will be evaluated and analysed with an eye to those graduating to the Senior Women’s and Men’s programs. Congratulations to all the teams that showed the heart and hunger to compete at this level.”
Notably, the top four standings mirrored the Khelo India Youth Games 2025, highlighting the competitive consistency among India’s top junior rugby states.
Top 3 Scorers – Boys U-18:
Abhay Horo – 59 points (35 tries, 24 conversions) – Jharkhand
Bharat Kisan – 57 points (15 tries, 42 conversions) – Odisha
Deegal Bhimani – 54 points (40 tries, 14 conversions) – Gujarat
