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Bihar women's rugby team punched above their weight to bag the silver medal in the 37th National Games in Goa and their Sri Lankan coach Dulanjana Vijayasinghe feels that this is just the beginning.
Bihar has not really been known for a strong Rugby culture but has been making rapid progress with the association investing in quality coaches. They had earlier hired two South Africans Jondre Naude and Keano to work with the team and Vijayasinghe was brought in 20 days before the National Games to build a strong team, as per a press release from National Games. And the results are for everyone to see. Their men's team qualified for the National Games for the first time and finished sixth while the women went down 7-12 to powerhouse Odisha in the final. What makes the result important is that the Bihar team had just one player Sweta Sai, who had national team experience, while the Odisha boasts of many international stars. Most of the players come from an underprivileged background and coach Vijayasinghe said their strength and diet is a major issue. "Most of the boys and girls included in the Bihar team come from very poor families. The biggest problem is regarding their physique. They are short and their diet is not good. Bihar government was giving protein shakes to the children during the camp. There is a good diet here, but after this, I do not know how they will continue with this same diet at home," he added. The other obvious hurdle was communication but Vijayasinghe, who has played 14 club seasons in Sri Lanka and the Asian series, said "The game has its own language and every player understands it." "In the team, there are some boys and girls who understand English well and help those who do not know English to understand," he added. Speaking about the future prospects of the team, Vijayasinghe said the boys are extremely hardworking but the girls have the potential to excel early. "Recently five girls appeared for the national trials. The boys are representing Bihar in rugby at the National Games for the first time. There is no target for the boys yet. I am happy that the boys are performing well but the Bihar government is also serious about the performance of the girls," he said. "I can say with certainty that if the girls of Bihar get a chance, they can do wonders," said Vijayasinghe, whose current contract is only till the National Games but is open for a longer stint if given the opportunity. (ANI)
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