International Rugby coaching course starts from July 17
Indian Express: Eleven out of the 24 Indian rugby squad probables will receive the tag of player/coach when they attend the three-day ‘Train the Trainer’ programme — the first ever International Rugby Board (IRB) level 1 men’s coaching course in India — starting Friday at the Shiv Chhatrapati Sports City, Balewadi.
The 11, in turn, can impart IRB level 1 coaching skills to the other team India players as also the state coaches, which is expected to result in faster penetration of rugby in the country.
Twelve players from other Asian nations will take part in the July 17-19 event along with the 11 from the Indian squad.
“As of now, there are only two people — Nasser Hussain and Salim Tyebjee — who are certified rugby educators in India. With the help of this course the number will increase and awareness of the sport will spread in the country,” said Greg Davey, development manager of Indian Rugby.
There will no extra burden, said team India captain Nasser Hussain. “The players realise it is their responsibility to improve the standard of the sport and will be happy to do so,” he said. The ‘train the trainer’ course is to be conducted by Ireland’s Mark Harrington, IRB training manager and advisory teacher for the Rugby Football Union, along with New Zealand’s Jarrad Gallagher, the rugby development manager of Asia.
The mixing of varied rugby cultures from Iran to Japan will allow the participants to understand different learning styles and will help put the Indians on a level-playing field with superior rugby nations like Hong Kong and Sri Lanka.
In the current IRB rankings, India is way below at 83, with Japan leading the Asian nations at rank 14, followed by Hong Kong at 34. Sri Lanka is placed at 52, followed by Malaysia at 68.
The immediate goal of the Indian Rugby Football Union is a good performance at the Commonwealth Games. Davey feels that after the success of the first ever Women’s IRB level 1 coaches and referees’ course held in March at the same venue, this course, which is a level higher, is a step towards this goal.
Rugby has complicated rules like the forward pass violation where the player is only allowed to move the ball by passing it behind. “The reason for India being chosen as the venue,” Davey said, “is the rapid growth that has taken place in the past two years”. He added that Pune is the centre for the Commonwealth Games training and that the facilities at the complex are well suited for the sport.
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