Rugby may be popularised in Bangladesh

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Can Bangladesh rise to sporting prominence by introducing its young to rugby, a new but inexpensive game?
At least that is the thinking that led the Bangladesh Rugby Association, backed by two Japanese coaches and the local coaches they trained, to request a number of city schools to send their under 12 students to be trained in the game, that so long remained relatively unknown.
A two-day orientation and training at the Dhanmondi Women's Sports Complex yesterday, cut short by a day due to the inclement weather, turned out to be an instant success.
The boys not only liked the new game but also picked up the minimum of skills quicker than the grown ups, trained earlier by the two Japanese coaches with support from the Bangladesh Rugby Association.
The Sunbeams, the Sunnydale, Marie Curie School, The Agha Khan School, Playpan, Reading, Green James, Khilgaon Oxford School, Dhanmondi Boys' High School, Khilgaon Model School and East Khilgaon Primary School sent their under 12.
They also sent their games teachers to be trained as coaches so that they in turn can train more students in the new game of interest.
To send boys for training the schools as well as the parents had to overcame their initial surprise, 'rugby in Bangladesh!'
Bangladesh Rugby Association General Secretary Mousum Ali said more boys from other schools would be trained for holding an inter-school tournament in Dhaka in January.
To be able to organise all this, the association has to depend on donations as it is yet get any assistance from the government.
"We want to popularise in Bangladesh, the second most popular game in the world," he said.
The positive response from the boys gave the coaches and the sponsors in the rugby association a new zeal to pursue their objective.
Munzed of Class V in Sunnydale described the game as "exciting, we could push each other." "It was all fun. I am interested to learn the new game," said Shareque, studying in Class VI in Merry Curie School.
"It's exciting and interesting and full of fun though at times you get hurt," said Sa'adat, also in VI of Merry Curie.
Serazoom Munira, Physical Education Teacher of Agha Khan School, who took training to be a rugby coach said that it was very good to see the young grip up on the first day.
An athlete, a judoka, a hockey player and a kabadi referee, she said that she considers the new game would one day be popular in Bangladesh.
Sayeed Ahmed, a national rugby coach, now training boys in more than one school, said that the game would one day be popular "but we have to remain active to achieve the results."
Two Japanese, Seiichi Suzuki, an electrical engineer and power sector adviser with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and Kunio Noda, development expert with JBIC (Japan Bangladesh International Cooperation) found time out of their busy schedule to train the coaches.
Suzuki, 37, said that he was surprised that rugby did not come to Bangladesh when other European games like cricket, soccer and hockey did. For the aggressive, as all young are, he said, rugby is the game of choice.
Rugby, he said, teaches, "one for all, all for one. It's very useful for education at the elementary school."
At times, one is scared when hurt, but basically it's quite a positive sport, he said, adding, "it's very good for growing up from the young stage. I myself played it for seven years."
Though he coached several groups of grown ups, he said, he got no opportunity to assess their performance or see them at play after they were trained.
As rugby can be played on any sort of ground, muddy, sandy, hard or soft, it should prove to be a useful game in Bangladesh, he said.
Another advantage, he said, was that it can be played by 30 players at a time, 15 from each side while 14 extras, seven from each side, wait.
In rugby all the players on the ground remain active playing, unlike in soccer in which, say the defenders stay behind, when the forward is active.
Syed Mohiuddin Ahmed, a keen rugby promoter said, being good for the aggressive, Americans, Australians, Filipinos, the Japanese and Koreans are good at rugby, besides England, the mother country.
But in England and Japan, the less aggressive version is played, he said. He is raising an under 12 team for school boys at Khilgaon.
Suzuki and another Japanese coach, Khodama, had trained six teams of grown ups for an 'Open Tournament' held at Paltan Maidan in April, said Mousum Ali.
Bangladesh Rugby association, he said, would hold a national tournament in December-January to be followed by a First Division League.
But the day-long training of the under 12, said coaches and sponsors alike, gave rugby a new boost and footing in Bangladesh. — BSS