Kolkata hosts Rugby League India’s first tournament for 2020

[Yakstorm]

https://www.asiapacificrl.com/2020/12/22/kolkata-hosts-rugby-league-indias-first-tournament-for-2020/

Kolkata hosts Rugby League India’s first tournament for 2020

The newly established Rugby League India has successfully held its first Rugby League tournament for 2020 in the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) over the weekend.

The event extended on Rugby League India’s Jackals Academy program which has been working on introducing Rugby League basics to Boys and Girls across the sub-continent. Sunday’s event saw players from across Kolkata and wider West Bengal take part in the four team tournament.

Supported by the Australian High Commission in India, former NSW Premier and current High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to Bhutan, Barry O’Farrell, was on hand to present awards to the winners.

Rugby League India was established in early 2020 to help with the development of Rugby League across the nation. The Federation has member League’s in West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir.

[fighting irish]

This is really exciting.

Get them into international football now as soon as possible.

[Copa]

On 28/12/2020 at 21:51, Yakstorm said:

former NSW Premier and current High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to Bhutan, Barry O’Farrell, was on hand to present awards to the winners.

Having keen and well connected rugby league fans in the diplomatic service is of great benefit to the game..

 

[Yakstorm]

11 hours ago, Copa said:

Having keen and well connected rugby league fans in the diplomatic service is of great benefit to the game..

Definitely. Great for the code that he is happily promoting his involvement as well via his professional and personal social accounts.

 

https://twitter.com/barryofarrell/status/1341258980924919809?s=19

https://twitter.com/barryofarrell/status/1341272868538052609?s=19

[DlEHARD]

Wow that is impressive. If you have twitter, hit him back with some support.

[The Rocket]

On 30/12/2020 at 22:03, Yakstorm said:

Definitely. Great for the code that he is happily promoting his involvement as well via his professional and personal social accounts.

 

https://twitter.com/barryofarrell/status/1341258980924919809?s=19

https://twitter.com/barryofarrell/status/1341272868538052609?s=19

Barry O`Farrell was on the Wests Tigers board, so he has Rugby League connections so I`m not sure why he would hash tag " #spiritofrugby" at the bottom of his tweet. It makes the whole thing look like it has been organised or at least been approved by World Rugby. Not sure why he would put that in there, possibly done by a lazy or ignorant/mischievous staffer. Worth noting he was a Liberal Premier and a Liberal party appointee and therefore would be surrounded by conservatives.

The `junglecrowsfdn` only referred to `rugby` as well, until we get that terminology correct it will often only look like a promotion for union doing great work in the third world. Not us.

It would appear that the whole thing was undoubtedly organised by AsiaPacific Rugby League and may have involved a union club the Jungle Crows, that`s fine, it`s hard to expect them to adjust their terminology but Barry really should have been hashtagging `AsiaPacificRugbyLeague`. 

56 minutes ago, DlEHARD said:

Wow that is impressive. If you have twitter, hit him back with some support.

If anyone has twitter and I don`t, after thanking him might be worth pointing out the above to him as well.

Excuse me from being the killjoy on what otherwise is a very positive story but we have to get the terminology right otherwise these sort of initiatives which are done with the very limited funds that the IRL have will possibly only benefit somebody else.

[unapologetic pedant]

2 hours ago, The Rocket said:

The `junglecrowsfdn` only referred to `rugby` as well, until we get that terminology correct it will often only look like a promotion for union doing great work in the third world. Not us.

If anyone has twitter and I don`t, after thanking him might be worth pointing out the above to him as well.

Excuse me from being the killjoy on what otherwise is a very positive story but we have to get the terminology right otherwise these sort of initiatives which are done with the very limited funds that the IRL have will possibly only benefit somebody else.

Mr O` Farrell may be in circumstances I`m all too familiar with, where he would have to keep correcting people`s language. You`re made to feel pedantic, for which you start apologising, and there`s a strong incentive to give up and go with the flow.

I`ve never been in any doubt that the practice in this part of the world of referring to RL as "Rugby" hampers global RL development, but I`m equally sure the same is true of the practice in your part of the world of referring to RU as "Rugby".

It is almost always in our best interests to say "Rugby League" or "League", and "Rugby Union" or "Union". Conversely, it`s rarely in our best interests to refer to either as just "Rugby".

[The Future is League]

On 28/12/2020 at 21:51, Yakstorm said:

https://www.asiapacificrl.com/2020/12/22/kolkata-hosts-rugby-league-indias-first-tournament-for-2020/

Kolkata hosts Rugby League India’s first tournament for 2020

The newly established Rugby League India has successfully held its first Rugby League tournament for 2020 in the city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) over the weekend.

The event extended on Rugby League India’s Jackals Academy program which has been working on introducing Rugby League basics to Boys and Girls across the sub-continent. Sunday’s event saw players from across Kolkata and wider West Bengal take part in the four team tournament.

Supported by the Australian High Commission in India, former NSW Premier and current High Commissioner to India and Ambassador to Bhutan, Barry O’Farrell, was on hand to present awards to the winners.

Rugby League India was established in early 2020 to help with the development of Rugby League across the nation. The Federation has member League’s in West Bengal, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Jammu & Kashmir.

More of the same please

[unapologetic pedant]

On 29/12/2020 at 19:15, fighting irish said:

This is really exciting.

Get them into international football now as soon as possible.

Not sure if you`re aware of the India Jungle Cats. This is a team of Aussies and Kiwis of Indian heritage. They played their first international against Colombia in Brisbane in 2019. I saw the livestream. Lot of very promising players. 

Don`t know of any involvement they have with development in India. Clearly it would help if they forged some links.

[RugbyLeagueRaj]

Not just Aussie and Kiwis of Indian Heritage - Shaniyat Choudhary from the Brooklyn Kings was a founder.

Great to see the shoots of RL in Kolkata especially considering the challenges of 2020.

[Yakstorm]

Some of the highlights from the tournament:

https://www.facebook.com/1323182687776580/posts/3781768321917992/

[unapologetic pedant]

On 04/01/2021 at 10:51, Yakstorm said:

Some of the highlights from the tournament:

https://www.facebook.com/1323182687776580/posts/3781768321917992/

At the scrum featured in these highlights, the ball is fed down the middle for the feeding team`s hooker to strike. The non-feeding team`s hooker does not strike. If the non-feeding team were to push after the half releases the ball, it would be a good illustration of how a contested scrum could operate in modern RL. Send the clip to Peter V`landys.

[Yakstorm]

Coverage of the tournament in India's largest English speaking publication (has an average daily circulation of 350K in Kolkata + online)

https://www.telegraphindia.com/sports/rugby-league-the-next-big-thing-in-india/cid/1802850

[The Rocket]

19 hours ago, Yakstorm said:

Coverage of the tournament in India's largest English speaking publication (has an average daily circulation of 350K in Kolkata + online)

https://www.telegraphindia.com/sports/rugby-league-the-next-big-thing-in-india/cid/1802850

A fantastic article and so much to be optimistic about but I can`t help but think that the IRL are in an ideal position to review the various forms on non-contact that are played around the world, make a decision on which they consider is the best fit with the tackle game and include it at all events and expansion projects they are involved in. 

These low contact options will provide an entry point to the many, many children I`m sure who are perhaps a little hesitant at participating in the full contact version. It is certainly possible that the increase in participation could be several fold.

And let`s face it, for most kids who want to play something for a bit of fun at lunch break or after school they are probably much more likely to have a game of Touch than a `casual` game of Tackle Rugby League. You really only need a ball and four objects for corner posts, we`ve all done it I`m sure. This one of the advantages that soccer have, people can pretty well play it on any surface and any where there is a bit of cleared land. Touch can provide this for League.

Ultimately perhaps with the goal of unifying all the different variants into one or two specifically associated with Rugby League and culminating in a position at our World Cup to add that element of prestige and that people are playing something that League takes seriously.

 

[fighting irish]

On 07/01/2021 at 10:49, Yakstorm said:

Coverage of the tournament in India's largest English speaking publication (has an average daily circulation of 350K in Kolkata + online)

https://www.telegraphindia.com/sports/rugby-league-the-next-big-thing-in-india/cid/1802850

I absolutely loved those highlights, thanks for posting the link. If they are the first few players ever to play in India, they've certainly unearthed some good'uns! What an uplifting story. 

[Yakstorm]

https://www.asiapacificrl.com/2021/01/21/rugby-league-heads-to-bengaluru/

Second event scheduled this month.

[fighting irish]

Come on India!!!!