India’s U20 Women’s Rugby Team Advances to Semi-Finals; Men’s Team Achieves Historic Victory Over UAE

News Analysis India — Sun, 10 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

India’s U20 Women’s rugby team, spurred on by a supportive home crowd, made a triumphant return to the Asia Rugby Emirates Rugby 7s U20 Championship, securing a spot in the semi-finals. The U20 Men’s team also made their mark, achieving their first-ever victory against the UAE at this level of competition. The women’s team, guided by coach Kiano Fourie and captained by Bhumika Shukla, began their campaign with a hard-fought 17-10 win against Kazakhstan. Guriya Kumari, Anshu Kumari, and Alpana Kumari all contributed tries to give the hosts a strong start. Their momentum continued in the afternoon with a dominant 31-7 victory over UAE. Bhumika led the way with two tries, while Tanushree Bhosale, Muskan Piploda, and Anshu each added to the score. This result guaranteed a semi-final position before their final pool match against Hong Kong China. In the men’s competition, coached by Paco Hernandez, the team celebrated a historic 24-17 win over UAE, marking India’s first victory against them at the U20 level and their first score in five encounters across the U18 and U20 categories. Charan Hembram, Goldan Kumar, and David Munda contributed tries, with David’s late score sealing the win despite a spirited fightback from UAE. Despite a valiant effort, the men’s team couldn’t maintain their winning streak, losing to both Sri Lanka and Hong Kong China. Sri Lanka and Hong Kong China topped Pool A, while China and Malaysia led Pool B. India’s U20 Women will compete in the semi-finals, while the men’s team will aim to conclude their campaign positively against Kazakhstan in the race to finish fifth.

CM Nitish Kumar Inaugurates Four-Lane Highway in Rajgir, Reviews Asia Rugby Championship Preparations

News Analysis India — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 00:00:00 +0000

In Rajgir, Nalanda, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar inaugurated the construction of the Salehpur-Rajgir four-lane highway. He also opened the newly constructed ROB on National Highway 82. The Chief Minister laid the foundation stone for the construction of a 4-lane highway (connecting the Rajgir tourism route to the Buddhist circuit) from Salehpur (SH-78) to Beloua (Rajgir) via Nursaray-Ahiyapur-Silao on NH-120, at a cost of ₹862.63 crore. He mentioned that the highway will reduce the distance from Patna to Rajgir by about 20 km, making it easier to reach the International Sports Complex, airport, Nalanda University, and Rajgir tourism area. The project is expected to boost industrial and economic development, and promote tourism in the region. The Chief Minister also inaugurated the Rajgir Road Overbridge (including access path) on National Highway 82 at Gram Hasanpur, costing ₹81.37 crore. He inspected the newly constructed overbridge and stated its importance for facilitating smoother traffic flow and reducing congestion. Furthermore, the Chief Minister reviewed the preparations for the Asia Rugby Under 20 Championship at the stadium in the Rajgir Sports Complex.

Asia Rugby Championship – News Analysis India

India’s U20 Women’s Rugby Team Advances to Semi-Finals; Men’s Team Achieves Historic Victory Over UAE

CM Nitish Kumar Inaugurates Four-Lane Highway in Rajgir, Reviews Asia Rugby Championship Preparations