In the News

Two Jungle Crows have appeared in the news this last week – Zaffar and Tudu.  Zaffar returned from Afghanistan on 24 December where he had spent 2 weeks coaching and organising the first ever Kabul 7s.  Zaffar is now the Coach of the Afghanistan Rugby team and was this week featured in the Cardiff Metropolitan University Students Union Newspaper.

Tudu was part of the January Sports Illustrated India cover story “50 Stories of Hope That Show India Matters”, please see the attached scan of the article.

Khelo Rugby

Our Khelo Rugby programme is growing from strength to strength.  We now take rugby into 8 slum communities in Kolkata and 8 communities in Chennai with our team of community coaches.  We have Khelo programmes in 3 schools in West Bengal’s Junglemahal and we are filling the Jharkhand town of Dumka with rugby.  Next week we begin training in 8 schools in Jamshedpur and will hold the first rugby festival there in February.  We have also partnered with the Irish NGO Goal to take rugby into the communities they support in the city dumps of Kolkata.  The RAF Spitfires 7s now play with a Khelo logo on their shirts and we are working on more locations and partnerships for 2012.

Women’s Rugby

Our Girls were runners up in both the National Senior 7s in 2011 and the National U16s and we are determined to improve this in 2012.  We also want to get many more girls playing rugby and keep working to make Kolkata the leading centre for the game in India.

Crows Academy

The Crows Academy has been formalised for 2012 with the main training session to take place on a Saturday morning. We have been approached by a couple of companies wanting to be associated with the Academy and we would hope to be able to announce a partner early on in 2012.  As always much of our work is held back by the lack of funding opportunities for non-cricket or football and we continue to work hard to break down these barriers!

Maidan Hazards at Callaghan Cup

The Maidan Hazards will travel to Bhubaneswar on 22 January to play in the years first major tournament the Callaghan Cup – India’s Division 2 15-a-side tournament.  The boys have been training hard over Xmas and we’re sure they will have success on the fields of Odisha!

Corporate Touch

Our 6th Corporate Touch Rugby will be held on 18 February on the Maidan – please be in touch if you would like to take part!

Thanks to all our supporters and sponsors in 2011 – both corporates and individuals – and we look forward to continuing to work together in 2012 to grow rugby and give youngsters across the country the chance to play and be part of our community! 

Cheers!!! 

The boys put in a lot of hard work before the tournament commiting plenty of early mornings to the Maidan. We were drawn in a tough group with Maharastra State Police and home team Delhi Hurricanes. Game one saw the boys comfortably move past the Police boys, but in game two we took a bit of a drubbing against the Hurricanes – who had 5 national players in their team and had clearly been very focussed on this tournament. Day Two came round and we faced a crucial quarter final against the top Army outfit ‘Army Red’. And what a game, the Crows were really fired up and came out fighting, perhaps giving up more than 25kgs per man and certainly 3-4 inches in height but on Sunday morning it made no difference. 12-12 at full time the game went into sudden death extra time, hugely exciting for the crowd and the Crows….but just when we were nearest a bad knock on scrum half Arun’s knee left him hobbling and opened a gap in the defence which the Army went through to score, 17-12 the final score.

So into the plate and first up, Tamil Nadu Police. Two quick scores saw the Crows leading 14-0 but a try on the stroke of half time, saw the Police back into it. A very poor second half saw the Crows scrap home 14-12, but the injuries were mounting up and we now had just one reserve, but at least only a final to go. Bangalore RFC stood between the Jungle Crows and the Plate, but this time the boys were on top form, knowing this was a chance to show our best side as we had done against the Army. Final score 34-5….with Tiger scampering through for a hat-trick of tries. The Plate was ours!

2011 Champions, Delhi Hurricanes beat Army Red 26-12. The Hurricanes now have their own rugby pitch in Delhi, full time coaches and have imported a Head Coach and Development Manager from France……as their theme tune says….”there’s a Hurricane blowing through….”

Thanks to all our supporters, all your wishes and thoughts keep us going……Cheers….

Jungle Crows supported by
Nalco
BOC Le Coq Sportif Ennore Indismart

Report on Afghanistan Rugby

by Zaffar Khan

Introduction

My name is Zaffar Khan.   I am a 25 years old Indian Citizen of Afghan origin and I have been playing rugby for the last 8 years. I got introduced to the game through my local club the Jungle Crows in Kolkata when I was 17. Through the support of the club founder, Paul Walsh, I got selected for the West Bengal state team and in 2008 I was selected for the Indian National Team.

In September 2010 I became a project Manager with the Jungle Crows.  The club not only plays rugby but has also set up a number of social projects to help less privileged people and children in India which I manage.  One of those projects is “Khelo Rugby” started in January 2009 which takes sporting opportunities to young children in disadvantaged communities/slums.  Using the sport of rugby we aim to make a positive impact in these communities.

I  have also organised the” Jungle Crows Workforce” which has taken on a number of clean-up missions – tidying up the playground at a Government Girls High School which had been completely ambushed with weeds and litter for the last 20 years and refurbishing a dis-used community hall in a slum called Brooklyn.

I have also helped organise the annual Jungle Crows Corporate Touch Rugby Tournament which is a carnival of 10 plus corporate teams competing against each other.

In December 2010 I was contacted by the Afghan Rugby Federation and invited to coach and select the national Afghan team primarily because I speak the local language, Pashto, and have some experience in the game.

KABUL – The Camp

On 20^th May 2011 I arrived in Kabul to begin the 10-Day Camp.  Although I have visited Kabul before I was excited to be back and try and spread awareness of the game.

A typical day at the camp began at 5.00am with a morning training session of 2.5 hours at the Ghazi Stadium.  It is an early start as many of the boys participating in the programme have to go to school or work after the session finishes.  However at this time of the morning the weather conditions are prefect as it gets very hot later in the day.

Rugby training in Afghanistan

Day 1 - when I arrived at the stadium there were only 7 boys ready to learn how to play rugby.  None of these boys had seen a rugby ball before so I started teaching the basic skills such as throwing and catching the ball, backward passing and introducing them to some of the technical terms used in the game such as “Knock-on”, “Scrum” “Line-Out” and so on.

Day 2 – The word about the camp had spread and we had 18 boys at the session. We ran through the basics again very quickly and then I introduced tackling.   Initially we used the tackle pads and then later in the practice the pads were removed and the boys tackled each other.  I finished the session with the boys playing a full rugby contact game.  It was amazing to see the boys learning the rules quickly and putting them into play.  I felt we were achieving things fast!

Day 3 – Even more boys came along to join the session.  I introduced rucking and scrum techniques.  At first the boys found it difficult because of the physical contact but they soon got used it and by the end of the session I think they enjoyed it because it allowed them to get their aggression out on the field.

Day 4/5 - we had 26 boys participating ranging between the ages of 15 – 24 and all of different abilities.

Day 6 - we travelled to Jalalabad with a group of 6 boys plus our Manager Ashur and the Doctor, to run the second phase of the Camp.  We coached 20 boys and selected 4 potentials for the national team who have returned with us to Kabul to participate in Phase 3 of the Camp.

Jalalabad

Zaffar Khan coaching in Jalabad

The camp at Jalalabad began with six of the boys from Kabul who volunteered to help us showing what they knew. Mr Ashur (Manager) as usual was great with his organisation of stuff required for the camp, accommodation and food.

Day 1 - we reached there and in the evening we had to look for a suitable place to practice.  After lot of “no’s”  we found a cricket ground which the chief was kind enough to let us use for the days we were in Jalalabad. On the first day we had 2 boys because of lack of information to the people and the media not informed.

Day 2 - we started practice at 5am and had practice in the late evening. We found more boys and the total went up to almost 20 boys. Most of the boys we found were under 19’s out of which we choose 4 who seemed to catch the game up quickly. One news agency also came for interviews.

Day 3 - we had practice in the morning and most of the boys turned up and then it was of back to Kabul. So we now had selected 4 boys from Jalalabad out of which two came to Kabul and 2 were not able to make the team because of their school exams.

The Enthusiasm!

The boys are very enthusiastic to learn and there are some amazingly talented players who we will be putting forward for the national team.  At the start of the camp I quickly realized that most of them had never even seen the game of rugby.  They were more familiar with cricket. However I was impressed with how quick the boys picked up the skills and learnt the rules of backward passing, knock-ons etc.

One of the things we do need to work on is improving their fitness.  Because of the high altitude the boys were not used to the intensive training and the amount of running involved so we incorporated plenty of water breaks.  But I also saw a massive improvement in their fitness with each session.

Dealing with the Media

Midway through the session on the first day of Camp we met the Chairman of the Afghan Olympic Federation and did 10 media interviews!!!  I found the interviewers were curious about the game off which they had little knowledge and they asked us interesting questions like

• “what is the weight of the ball”
• “How many players in a team”
• “How long is a rugby pitch”

My Recommendations

In order to see the game of rugby expand in Afghanistan I would recommend the following:

• Grassroots coaching and introduction in a small group of schools/colleges perhaps using tag rugby
• Employ some experienced rugby coaches
• Run camps to train up coaches and referees
• Acquire a rugby playing ground
• Purchase equipment and kit
• Gain assured access to medical and first aid facilities
• Set budgets
• In parallel develop a senior 15-a-side team to join Asian 5 Nations, an under 20 team to play in Asian junior tournaments and a senior sevens team.  Players can be in more than one squad.
• Seek Invitations from other countries for the Afghan national squad to play friendly matches and take part in tournaments such as the Asian 5 Nations.
• Work on getting ARF to join the IRB, Afghan Olympic Association, Asian Rugby Union

Every time Sailen Tudu makes the trip back to his village in the troubled forests of south Bankura, he carries a few rugby balls with him a most unlikely gift from someone who grew up hunting and kicking a football around with playmates. But then, that is if you didn’t know he is the only representative from the state among India’s rugby probables for the October 3-14 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.

Tudu has also spent the last couple of years in England on scholarship, completing a diploma in rugby at the Hartbury College, and is preparing to fly back next month for a three-year degree course there. And he has always looked forward to going back to his leafy hamlet in Phulkusuma, close to tourist destination Mukutmanipur.

“We just throw the ball around and have a great time. Many kids are actually getting interested and there are plans to take the game there,” the 21-year-old said on Friday. “Most are, of course, intrigued by a game that’s so different from anything that they have known. Just as I was when I first saw it.”

That was in 2004, long after his father, a retired policeman, was transferred to Howrah and then to Kolkata. “I studied at Chetla Boys and was a decent district-level footballer before a back injury put me out for over a year. So, I used to run near the race course. One afternoon, I came across Paul Walsh and a few others playing with this strange ball,” Tudu recalled. “I stopped to watch and soon someone asked me if I’d like to play. I asked what I had to do, they said whenever you get the ball, just run’. I was good at running, and it was no problem,” he added with a laugh.

He was soon playing for Walsh’s team, Jungle Crows, and by the end of 2005, making the trip to Pakistan with the India under-19s as its youngest member. Two years later, he was vice-captain of the Under-20 team and last year was playing the Asian five-nation meet with the senior team. “And, of course, I played a few matches this year,” he said.

Walsh, formerly employed with the British High Commissioner’s office here, was instrumental in sending Tudu to England. “No, I didn’t choose him, he selected himself by being very talented, hardworking and dedicated. And everything else fell into place as well,” says Walsh.

Tudu is saddened by what is happening in Jangalmahal’. “I was born and brought up there but now I am scared to go there at times. We can’t go outside in the evenings. It shouldn’t be like this,” he said, adding: “I’m not sure about all the reasons why this is happening, but people there are not getting what they need. I hope the government, the media, sportspersons… everyone, comes together to solve it.”

Khelo Rugby takes tag rugby into the slums and community centres of the city where any sort of organised sport is absent. Tag rugby is a non-contact form of rugby that requires little equipment and can be played on the rough non-grass surfaces found around Kolkata.

Today we have five Khelo Rugby centres receiving regular coaching. The target is to have 10 fully organised centres by the end of 2010. Each would be its own child centred community sports location benefiting from organised coaching as a minimum at least once in a week. After each coaching session children eat fresh fruit and have a chance to talk in a supportive environment.

The Jungle Crows are looking to extend the Khelo Rugby concept to other cities, towns and villages in India – including to the home village of Sailen Tudu, a coach and player with the Jungle Crows currently studying at Hartpury College in the UK. In March 2010 Sailen Tudu will lead a tour to his home village from the UK with the intention of launching the first Khelo Rugby programme outside of Kolkata.

Rugby Uncle supports the Jungle Crows in their Khelo Rugby programme.

Through the Khelo Rugby programme the mental and physical development of children will be fostered. The participants will be encouraged in their development of skills needed for living in society. Khelo Rugby aims to foster its own sense of community where children can feel at ease to share ideas and problems. Each community will develop its own identity, very much led by the children with the coaches working as mentors.

The Government of India’s own statistics state that less than 6% of those under the age of 35 have access to any organised sport. Khelo Rugby will bring organised sport and the positive benefits of sport to youngsters aged 8 -13.

During 2010 the programme also aims to run at least 3 tournaments where the Khelo Rugby children from the various programmes can come together and play. This is intended to include a cross section of society in the tournament days to further break down barriers and create a bond of rugby across social divisions.

We have already recruited two assistant coaches drawn from the disadvantaged communities in which the programme operates. They are paid a small stipend and the Jungle Crows will work with them to continue their education while at the same time they help to deliver the Khelo Rugby programme.

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