Indian U-17 girls finish fourth at rugby tournament in Dubai

Mumbai, Dec 2 (PTI) The Indian Under-17 girls team has returned home after ending up fourth in the Youth Olympic Games Rugby Sevens Qualifiers held at Dubai Sports City, Dubai.

A total of 12 countries from across Asia, including Japan, Laos, Kazakhstan, Iran, Sri Lanka, Philippines, China, Thailand, Malaysia, India and hosts UAE, fought for top honours at the championships that concluded in end-November.

Japan were crowned the champions of the tournament after defeating China in a closely contested final, while Kazakhstan finished in third place, said a media release.

In the opening rounds, the Indian girls defeated Laos 27-0 in the first game, but in the second lost to eventual champions Japan 0-50.

Having qualified for the second phase, the Indian girls started off with a victory, defeating Hong Kong 24-7.

However, they lost their next two games against China and Kazakhstan 0-43 and 5-22, respectively.

The team participated under the aegis of the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU), the governing body for the sport in India, and was supported by Societe Generale, the financial partner of Rugby India