Asian5 Nations Rugby tourney from Wednesday

New Delhi: High on confidence after the successful organisation of the Commonwealth Games test event,

Rugby India for the first time will host the Asian5 Nations tournament to be held on June 2 and 5 at the newly constructed venue at Delhi University campus here. Hosts India will open their campaign against a formidable China while the other two participants in the event are Thailand and the Philippines. It will be the first time that spectators will enjoy the action under lights, which is expected to give the game a much needed makeover as most of the matches worldwide played under lights. The winner of this Division-II 15-a-side championship will be promoted to Division-I while the last-placed team will be relegated to the third division. If India beat China and then win the final match against either Philippines or Thailand, they will progress to the Division-I for the first time. "The championship was launched in 2008 and since then has witnessed a lot of positive changes which are good for the game. Hosting events like this will certainly add to the growing popularity of Rugby in India. We are proud to be the hosting country," said India captain Nasser Hussain at a press conference. "We are upbeat about our first match against India. Expectations are riding high on us and we will present a good challenge to the Indian side tomorrow," said Chinese captain Ma Bing. The 24-member Indian squad includes some young guns in the side who will make their debut tomorrow. One of the name doing the rounds is 16-year-old Jagga Singh, youngest member of the team. "Preparation for the tournament is excellent and as good as we have expected. We have couple of young players in the side which is good for us. They have raw talent and need to prove themselves on the ground," said Greg Davey, Rugby India Development Manager. Rugby India has been undergoing a period of feverish preparation that has seen the team spending extended periods of training in New Zealand. "The New Zealand tour was great and it was planned in accordance with this tournament. Let`s hope boys deliver the requisite results," added Davey. PTI