A rugby movement is brewing in Bihar

Bihar is emerging as one of the most promising states in Indian rugby.

Their performance at the recently concluded 10th Junior National Rugby 7s Championship 2025 in Dehradun, where both the U18 boys and girls team from Bihar emerged champions, is testament to this.

While the girls team repeated their 2022 golden sweep, the boys remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, overcoming defending champions Odisha 17-15 in a thrilling final.

Rugby players from the state are not only dominating the national scene, they are also making big impressions in the national team.

Rugby coach Gaurav Chauhan explains to The Bridge that girls from Bihar are amongst the very best.

“When it comes to performance, the girls from Bihar are among the best in the country. In the beginning, say around 2017-2019, only one or two girls from Bihar used to get selected in the Indian team. But now, out of 12 players, three to five girls are part of the national team. Most of the wingers in the Indian team are from Bihar. Their speed and skills have made a big difference,” he says.

In rugby, a winger known for speed and scoring tries, typically occupying the edges of the field. They are often the fastest players who run along the sidelines with the ball.

“Their presence in the Indian squad has helped improve the overall speed and performance of the Indian team, and it's one of the reasons why India is winning more medals,” Chauhan adds.

Bihar's grassroots approach

What started as a lesser-known sport in the region has now turned into a movement.

The transformation was made possible by tireless efforts of individuals like Pankaj Kumar, the Secretary of the Bihar Rugby Association, and the unconditional support from the state government.

“When we started rugby, there was not much popularity. Pankaj sir is the driving force. Without him, the sport wouldn’t be where it is today. He used to personally visit every district, identified interested youth and introduced the game to a group of 10-12 groups, and even donated rugby balls. The popularity of the sport increased gradually and the performance has also started coming,” he said.

Bihar's grassroots approach is now bearing fruit. Participation and performance levels have seen a surge across the state.

“This year our teams have won gold in almost every category. Our senior boys team had not won any medal in the last 12 years. Every year, they used to finish fourth or fifth. But this year they won bronze,” he said.

The women's team won the title and the men’s team secured the bronze medal at the Senior National Rugby Sevens Championship in Guwahati this year. The U15 and U14 teams have claimed titles in their respective junior nationals.

“In the near future, players from Bihar will totally dominate the national scene. Our girls are already winning a lot of medals. In the men’s category, we feature among the top 4 teams,” he added.

“Our age category is U12, U14, U17, U19, U20 and then the senior. Our strategy is to work on grassroot players, so they can play longer. This strategy makes us strong,” he said.

Patna, the talent hub

Players from Bihar are skilled and possess speed, agility and high-fitness levels.

Their success stems from the fact that Bihar is one of the few states that organises regular training camps with focus on building a strong and vast pool of players. The camps offer top-class facilities, a nutritious diet, necessary suppliments, followed by rigorous selection process.

“In our team, most players are from the Barh town in Patna district. There are four boys and four girls from Patna itself in our team,” he asserts.

“We work more on technique, speed and agility. Our players are stronger than players from other states. Our fitness levels are high. Also, we organise regular camps every month,” he explained.

“Our strength lies in our grassroots model. Around 25–30 players are shortlisted from district and state tournaments. They are integrated into camps and only 12 from there make it to the team. So, this is the toughness that we have,” he pointed.

Government backing

While the grassroots systems are robust, with a bit more support, Bihar could unleash its full potential. The ground, the coach highlights, needs attention.

“Rugby is a contact sport. We need more grounds with grass. There is one in Patna, but it’s not accessible to everyone. For instance, Barh is 60 km away, Mujhapur is 80 km away. Take Nawada, for example, it is 100 km away from Patna. Most of our talented players come from these places. So if there is anything that we need at this time is grounds. If that happens, the team will be even better,” he explained.

“A year ago, the new DG sir (Ravindran Sankaran, Director General, Bihar State Sports Authority) rolled out a scholarship scheme for national and international players. Under which, a national level athlete gets Rs. 3 lakh and international player gets Rs. 20 lakh in a year. Then there is another scheme ‘medal lao, naukri pao’,” he pointed.

Under the sports recruitment policy 'medal lao, naukri pao', the Government of Bihar will provide jobs up to first class as Sub-Divisional Magistrate and Deputy Superintendent of Police in Bihar Administrative Service, Bihar Police Service to the players of the state who have secured medals (gold, silver or bronze) in national and international sports events.

In view of the all-round development of the players, the Nitish Kumar government approved the Bihar Sports Scholarship Scheme-2024 under the 'Long Term Athlete Development Program'. Under this scheme, 500 players at the district and state levels that fall between the ages of 12 and 18 are being given Rs. 3 lakh every year.

Financial assistance of Rs. 5 lakh is being provided every year to 200 national/ international level players in the age group of 12 to 24. And, 25 Olympic level players are given Rs. 20 lakh per year as assistance.

A movement

Chauhan laments the facts that exposure was non-existent during his time as a player. Now, however, he observes that things are changing and leagues like the Rugby Premier League (RPL) are a move in the right direction.

“When we used to play, there was no such exposure (RPL). The RPL is well organised, the coaches and players are aware, their expenses are taken care of. We get everything in a systematic manner,” he said.

With the RPL coming to India and the athlete-centric approach of the state government, Bihar's future in rugby, according to Chauhan, is more than just promising: “Rugby in Bihar is not just a sport anymore. It’s a movement.”