Rugby: Pakistan to feature in UAE 7s event

Team expected to be announced end of the month.

KARACHI: Hoping to recover from a standstill of not participating in international events for months, Pakistan will be back in action at the UAE Sevens Rugby tournament to be played in March in the UAE.

According to the Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) President Fawzi Khwaja, the probables have begun preparations at the training camp in Lahore.

The PRU chief has informed that teams taking part in the event — scheduled to get underway from March 14 — include Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Afghanistan and hosts UAE.

Pakistan’s last major international assignment was the HSBC Asian Sevens Series which was held in Mumbai last October. The team suffered a winless campaign in the tournament, losing all three matches to finish on a dismal 15th position.



However, Khwaja hoped the team would put up a strong performance in the forthcoming tournament.

“Our preparations are underway,” the PRU president told The Express Tribune. “There are around 50 probables who have started training for the tournament.

“The training camp also serves as a selection process where the best players will be chosen in the team. The squad for Dubai will be decided around a couple of weeks before the competition.”

After the Dubai assignment, the team will also compete in an Asian International 15-a-side rugby event that is scheduled to be held in May with the venue yet to be decided.

Khwaja added that the PRU was also planning to host a major U-19 international event later this fall.

“We are planning the event for September or October but it’s just the early stages of our plan. We are yet to approach teams for the planned tournament.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 21^st, 2013.

Correction: An earlier version of this story had an incorrect picture attached to it. The picture has been replaced now.