Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union presents the second edition of ‘Asian Rugby 7s Series 2016’ – Chennai
The Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union (TNRFU) under the aegis of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) is organizing the second edition of the ASIAN RUGBY Sevens 2016 in an announcement made today.
It is scheduled to be held on Saturday and Sunday, 20th and 21st February 2016. The tournament will play host to 14 Asian countries across the Men’s and Women’s categories.
Press conference panelists: 1. Dr. S Sundararaj, Hon. Minister of Sport and Youth Welfare 2. Mr. Aaron Stockdale, Tournament Consultant, Asia Rugby 3. Mr. Nasser Hussain, General Manager, Rugby India 4. Mr. R Bharaneeshwaran, Chairman, TNRFU 5. Mr. Raj Satyen – President, TNRFU 6. Mr. Sendhil Thiyagarajan – Secretary General, South India Rugby Football Union 7. Mr. Prabhu Solomon – Award winning Film Director
About the event: Asian Rugby 7’s Series 2016 (Chennai): After the success of the Asian Rugby 7s Olympic Pre-Qualifier 2015 held in Chennai in March 2015. Asia Rugby and Rugby India have given Chennai the honor of hosting the Asian Rugby Sevens a part of the Asia Rugby 7s calendar. The Tournament will be held in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on the 20th and 21st of February 2016.
QUOTE: On the occasion Mr.R Bharaneeswaran – Chairman, Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union (TNRFU) said “Chennai is proud to host the 2nd edition of the Asian Rugby Sevens and would like to take this opportunity to thank the Honorable Chief Minister for her continued support for the Sport of Rugby and all other Sports with her generosity towards the winners at the International and National events and for providing faciliAes to groom future talents. We also thank the Government of Tamil Nadu and the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu for their continuous support. We are confident that this year’s edition will put Chennai on the World Rugby Map.”
The Tournament will be intense and will feature 12 Men’s Teams and 6 Women’s Teams from across Asia. The Asian Rugby Sevens will be held at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai.
QUOTE: Mr.Raj Satyen – President, Tamil Nadu Rugby Football Union (TNRFU) said “With the Asian Sevens returning to Chennai for the second edition, it is testament that this tournament is here to stay. All this would not have been possible without the support of the Government of Tamil Nadu”.
QUOTE: Mr. Aaron Stockdale - Tournament Consultant, Asia Rugby said “Over the past decade, India have consistently been developing as a serious contender in the Asian Rugby circuit. With an event of this stature being held in India, it is a maker of Ame before the youth of this nation help build a formidable line up that will compete amongst the best”. The Asian Rugby Sevens will be the second International Rugby event held in Chennai. Local and National Celebrities, Expats from different countries will be invited to witness this intense tournament. The participating countries are: South Korea, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Guam, Bangladesh, Nepal, UAE, Lebanon, Chinese Taipei and India.
QUOTE: Mr. Nasser Hussain, General Manager, Rugby India said “Riding on the success of last year’s ediAon, the top teams in Asia are well prepared to raise the bar of the competition. We will witness some of the best Rugby in Asia, during the course of the tournament”.
QUOTE: Mr. Sendhil Thiyagarajan – General Secretary, South India Rugby Football Union said “The Tamil Nadu Rugby Sub junior team placed third in the recently concluded National Championships. This goes to show that there is no dearth of talent in the state. TNRFU have started several school programs and the sport has spread to districts such as Vellore, Nagapajnam and Dindigul with strong support. We are confident that the foundation is being laid to make Tamil Nadu the leading state in Rugby talent.”
History of Rugby 7’s:
Rugby sevens was initially conceived in 1883 by Ned Haig and David Sanderson, who were butchers from Melrose, Scotland as a fund-raising event for their local club, Melrose RFC. The first ever sevens match was played at the Greenyards, the Melrose ground. The first ever officially sanctioned international tournament occurred at Murrayfield as part of the “Scottish Rugby Union’s Celebration of Rugby" centenary celebrations in 1973.
Due to the success of the format, the ongoing Hong Kong Sevens was launched three years later, in 1976. The Rugby World Cup Sevens, in which the Melrose Cup is contested, was launched in 1993. Three of the best known sevens competitions are the Hong Kong Sevens, Wellington Sevens and the Dubai Sevens, which now make up part of the World Rugby Sevens World Series.
