Exclusive: IRFU President Rahul Bose Shares His Ultimate Vision For Indian Rugby

Rahul Bose has achieved a lot of tags during his film and Rugby career. He is a performer known for his different picks in film and theatre. For those who don't know, Rahul is the current president of the Indian Rugby Football Union and he was also a national team player for 11 years. Describing the sport as his first love, Rahul has big plans for the sport and in this article, you know all about his ultimate vision for Indian Rugby.

After calling it time as a player in 2009, Rahul helped the sport grow in India inducting young kids into the game, especially from underprivileged communities. In 2021, Rahul was elected as the president of Rugby India.

Speaking to a Zeenews English journalist, Bose shared his plan with the IRFU and Indian Rugby.

1. As the President, what is your long-term plan for Indian Rugby?

"I'd like to answer on behalf of the entire IRFU board. I only head it. Our plans over the next two to five years area. Professionalize the sport - pay players, central contracts, and performance-based promotions."

b. Create a pathway for kids to become rugby players in all corners of India: first, to start learning the sport between 8-10 years old, second, utilizing the sport to give them a better education e.g. seats in schools and colleges, and third, reaping the rewards of their love for the game by being paid deservedly well as professional adult rugby players.

c. Create a high-performance system equivalent to the best in the world. We are quite a long way there. From individually tailored nutrition to a national psychologist, from sports science-aided rehabilitation to an international coaching ecosystem.

d. Create properties that will garner immense interest on television as well as online streaming platforms.

2. What made you fall in love with Rugby?

I first fell in love with rugby at the age of 13 for all the wrong reasons. You could take out all your aggression without being punished, you could dirty your clothes and no one would get angry plus the girls loved boys who played rugby. As I grew older, I began to hear the melody and feel the rhythm of the game. To my mind rugby is the most poetic sport on Earth. It has also given me some of my best friends. When you do something stupid on the field and a teammate hurls his body between you and a trip to the hospital, that's a friend you want to keep for life. By nature, I am an individualist, rugby taught me to be a team player: the hard way. After many trips to the hospital later I realized, in this game if you have to move forward you can only move forward together. I can’t think of a more valuable life lesson.

Humbled and honoured. Thank you. https://t.co/uuCh6o7wZB — Rahul Bose (@RahulBose1) March 27, 2023

3. Could you tell us more about Rugby India's broadcast deal with FanCode and how you see this deal benefitting the sport in India?

"Rugby India's broadcast deal with FanCode is the next logical step in the deepening and widening of the game in India. Through this relationship, we hope to attract not just Rugby lovers but lovers of any sport to the game. The relationship with FanCode will definitely create data of 'why, what, where, and who' is watching and following this game online in India. We see this as the first step in a series of steps that will culminate over the next two years in Rugby hopefully becoming one of the top five sports on the top of every Indian sports lover's mind."

Yannick Colaco, Co-founder, FanCode, said "We are delighted to partner with Rugby India to foster the development of the sport in our country. Rugby is gaining popularity, and we see immense potential in developing an ecosystem that caters to the needs of players, fans, and the broader Rugby community. We will provide a seamless digital experience for Rugby enthusiasts, enabling them to connect, engage, and embrace the sport like never before."