India Men’s Rugby 7s Finish 12th on Asian Rugby Series Debut After Tough China Campaign
India’s men’s rugby 7s team completed a historic but challenging debut at the 2026 Asian Rugby Emirates Sevens Series Leg 1 in China, finishing 12th after a campaign that provided valuable exposure against some of the continent’s established rugby nations.
The Indian team endured difficult results during the opening stages, including a heavy defeat to Japan and losses against the UAE and Kazakhstan. However, there were also encouraging signs of progress, particularly the comeback against Singapore in the pool stage and the emphatic 26-5 victory over Singapore in their final classification match.
For a team making its debut at this level, the campaign was ultimately a learning experience, although there will also be some frustration over missed opportunities, particularly the narrow defeat to Uzbekistan.
India began their campaign in Pool B against Japan, the UAE and Singapore. The opening match proved to be a steep learning curve as Japan defeated India 46-0. Japan are among the established forces in Asian rugby sevens, and the result underlined the gap in experience between India and teams that regularly compete at this level.
India then faced the UAE and went down 14-35.
The Indian side struggled early, with several knock-ons and misplaced passes disrupting their attacking rhythm. However, the second half offered a glimpse of what the team could produce.
India scored two tries within two minutes, suddenly putting pressure on the UAE defence. The comeback ultimately proved insufficient, with the UAE's squad featuring players with international experience from different rugby backgrounds able to regain control and secure the victory.
India entered their final pool match against Singapore, still searching for their first victory.
Javed Hussain inspires Singapore's comeback.
The match against Singapore was a contest of two very different halves. India struggled during the opening period and found themselves 0-12 down. Rather than allowing the deficit to decide the contest, the Indian players produced a strong response after the break.
Javed Hussain became one of the key figures in the comeback, scoring tries as India fought their way back into the contest. The match eventually finished 12-12, giving India their first positive result of the tournament and demonstrating their ability to recover from difficult situations.
The draw would later prove significant because India and Singapore met again in the classification stage.
This time, there was no comeback required.
India secures historic maiden win.
India produced their strongest performance of the tournament in the final classification match, defeating Singapore 26-5. The emphatic victory was historic, as it marked the Indian men's rugby 7s team's maiden win in the Asian Rugby Emirates Sevens Series.
After being held to a draw by Singapore in the pool stage, India returned with greater attacking confidence and defensive discipline. The result provided an important reward for the players after what had otherwise been a difficult debut campaign.
It also showed that the team could quickly learn from an earlier encounter and make the necessary adjustments when given another opportunity against the same opposition.
India's other major classification match was against Uzbekistan, and this was arguably the result that the team will look back on with the greatest regret. India were in control early and established a 14-0 lead in the first half.
However, Uzbekistan produced a dramatic second-half turnaround. India were unable to add to their score after the break, while the Central Asian side scored 19 unanswered points to complete a 19-14 comeback victory. The defeat was particularly painful because India had created a substantial advantage and appeared to be in a position to secure another victory.
Instead, Uzbekistan turned the contest around completely.
The narrow loss highlighted one of the biggest areas for improvement for the Indian team: maintaining composure, defensive structure and attacking efficiency across the entire 14-minute contest.
India's final classification fixture came against Kazakhstan. The Central Asian side again proved too strong, winning 28-19 and condemning India to a 12th-place finish. India had shown flashes of quality throughout the tournament, but Kazakhstan's physicality and experience ultimately proved decisive.
The defeat meant India ended their debut campaign with one win, one draw and multiple losses.
The 12th-place finish may not look spectacular on paper, but the significance of India's participation should not be underestimated. The men's team was making its debut in a series featuring Asian nations with considerably more experience at the international rugby sevens level. The exposure provides the players and coaching staff with a clearer understanding of the standards required to compete consistently against the continent's best.
The biggest positives were India's improvement during matches, the ability to fight back from difficult positions and, most importantly, the historic first win over Singapore. At the same time, the defeat to Uzbekistan will provide a clear lesson. India had the opportunity to win that match after leading 14-0 but were unable to close it out.
The next challenge is to convert these lessons into greater consistency. For Indian men's rugby 7s, the China leg was not simply about the final position. It was the beginning of a new journey at a higher level of Asian competition.
With more international exposure, better execution and greater experience under pressure, India can aim to turn these early learning experiences into stronger results in future legs.
The debut ended with a 12th-place finish, but India's historic victory over Singapore offered a glimpse of what this team can become. The foundation has now been laid; the next step is to build on it.
Comments (0)
to post comments, replies, and votes.
Loading comments…
