India Men Win Silver, Women Finish Fourth at Historic Inaugural CASA Rugby 7s 2026
Indian rugby enjoyed a promising start to its 2026 international season as the Indian Men’s Team secured a silver medal while the Women’s Team finished fourth at the inaugural CASA Rugby 7s tournament held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Officially sanctioned by Asia Rugby and World Rugby, the Central Asia and South Asia (CASA) Rugby 7s Championship marked the launch of a new regional competition designed to strengthen rugby development across emerging Asian nations. For Rugby India, the tournament offered several encouraging signs from the men’s consistent run to the final under new head coach Paul Albaladejo to the women’s dramatic victory over eventual champions Sri Lanka.
India’s Senior Men’s Team produced an impressive run through the tournament, winning four consecutive matches before eventually settling for silver. The campaign began with a confident 24-12 victory over hosts Uzbekistan, where India displayed strong attacking structure and efficient finishing in open play. That momentum continued against Kyrgyzstan, with India completely dominating the contest in a 31-0 shutout victory. The defensive organisation particularly stood out as the side controlled possession and territory throughout the game.
India then defeated Mongolia 26-14 in another high-scoring encounter before edging Pakistan 20-14 in one of the most competitive matches of the tournament. The victory over Pakistan effectively secured India’s place in the final and highlighted the growing composure within the squad under pressure situations However, the toughest challenge came against Sri Lanka.
India’s only round-robin defeat came against Sri Lanka, who entered the tournament as one of the strongest rugby sevens sides in the region. The Sri Lankans defeated India 33-12 in the group stage before once again overcoming the Indian side 31-10 in the final to claim the inaugural CASA Rugby 7s title. Despite the defeat, India’s silver medal finish represented a positive outcome considering the squad’s transitional phase under newly appointed Spanish head coach Paul Albaladejo. Several Indian players impressed during the campaign.
David Munda and Sumit Kumar Roy emerged as India’s leading try scorers with four tries each, while Devendra Padir and Hitesh Dagar contributed three tries apiece. The attacking structure looked significantly sharper compared to previous international outings, particularly during wide-channel movements and transition play.
India’s Women’s Team experienced a far more dramatic tournament journey. The side began slowly with defeats against Uzbekistan (7-22) and Kazakhstan (7-19) on Day 1, struggling initially with defensive transitions and physicality around the breakdown.
However, the young Indian squad responded impressively. A massive 72-0 victory over Kyrgyzstan completely transformed momentum within the camp and gave the team renewed confidence heading into Day 2.
India followed that with another dominant performance, defeating Mongolia 33-0 while displaying far greater defensive organisation and attacking fluidity.
The defining moment of India’s women’s campaign came against eventual champions Sri Lanka. In one of the biggest surprises of the tournament, India handed Sri Lanka their only defeat with a dramatic 22-19 victory. The match was decided in the closing moments when Mahak Chauhan scored a last-minute try to seal a famous win for India.
The result highlighted the rapid tactical improvement shown by the women’s side across the tournament and offered strong evidence of the growing depth within Indian women’s rugby. Unfortunately, India narrowly missed out on a medal after losing 14-20 to hosts Uzbekistan in the third-place playoff.
Despite finishing fourth, the performances generated significant optimism for the future.
The CASA Rugby 7s tournament represents an important addition to the regional rugby calendar. For emerging rugby nations like India, consistent international competition is critical for long-term development, particularly in the sevens format where game speed and decision-making improve significantly through regular exposure. Speaking after the tournament, Rugby India President Rahul Bose described the event as an encouraging beginning to the international season.
“CASA 7s has been an important start to the international season for both our Men’s and Women’s programs. The tournament provided valuable competition exposure, and there were several encouraging performances across both squads as we continue building towards the rest of the 2026 season,” Bose said.
The performances in Tashkent reflected a broader positive trend within Indian rugby. The men’s team showed improved attacking structure under new coaching leadership, while the women’s side demonstrated resilience, tactical growth, and the emergence of exciting young talents like Mahak Chauhan.
Most importantly, India competed strongly throughout the tournament against increasingly competitive Asian opposition.
For a sport still building its ecosystem domestically, the inaugural CASA Rugby 7s provided exactly what Indian rugby needed meaningful international competition, valuable match experience, and clear evidence that progress is beginning to take shape.
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