Rugby team leaves for Malaysia

Mumbai: The Indian women`s rugby team left for Malaysia to participate in the four nation-Asian 7s Circuit Tournament to be held in Kota Kinabalu.

The two day tournament beginning from October 31 also features Thailand, Singapore, and Guam. This is the team`s second international outing after their participation in the Asian Womens Rugby 7s tournament in Pattaya (Thailand) in May this year. According to skipper Avani Sabade the team has a good opportunity to win the tournament."The only tough match for us will be against Thailand who are the number 2 side in Asia. We have to be very strong defensively against them," Sabade told reporters before leaving for the tourney. "We can win against the other two teams if we play to our potential," she said. The team is match-fit having participated in the All-India Rugby national championships two weeks ago, Sabade said.The team also had a week-long national training camp at the Balewadi Complex in Pune, ahead of the tournament. The team: Avani Sabade (Captain), Neha Pardeshi, Vahbiz Bharucha, Vaishnavi Sose, Niharika Bal, Ketaki Khare, Gayatri Salunkhe (all Pune), Kalpana Das, Sutapa Das, Priyanka Mondal, Tapasi Nandi (all Kolkata), and Sindhu Sreenath (Bangalore). Coach: Usaia Buimuiwai; Manager: Leena Bal. Bureau Report