Pakistan defeat India 13-11 in rugby final

U19 Asian Championship wraps up in Lahore.

KARACHI:

Pakistan defeated arch rivals India 13-11 in a closely contested final of the U19 Asian Rugby Championship Division Third competition yesterday at the Punjab Stadium, Lahore.

The event was organised by the Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) in collaboration with the Sports Board Punjab.

According to the PRU President Fawzi Khwaja, the match was a thrilling spectacle where the forwards from Pakistan team controlled the match and assured the win.

“It was a closely contested match and the Pakistan forwards did very well,” Khwaja told The Express Tribune. “Our forwards were better than their Indian counterparts. The whole team performed well. The team and coach Roger Coombs worked very hard for the championship. Our team was well-coordinated.”

Khwaja further expressed his satisfaction at the team’s performance and said he hoped that the players continue their hard work.

“Of course we are happy because we won, but this is just the U19 event and the players need to continue to play and improve. We did a good job in this event, but when they progress to the next level and move ahead they will face more competition. So the players need to remain consistent.”

The final match was also touted as a step to promote peace between India and Pakistan through sports.

Pakistan had earlier defeated Afghanistan 44-6 on the first day of the event, while India played a warm-up game against Punjab Universities Team that comprised of students from Lahore. India won their opening match 30-5, according to the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) website.

According to reports, Pakistan is expected to send a team to Mumbai next week to participate in the Asian Sevens, where 15 other countries will also compete.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2013.

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