A rugby match in progress at the Birsa Munda football stadium. File picture

Jharkhand Rugby Football Association will host the 2nd Junior National Rugby Football Championship at the main athletics stadium of Jaipal Singh mega sports complex in Hotwar from November 24 to 26.

In the U-16 girls’ category, 11 teams — comprising Delhi, Odisha, Kerala, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and last year’s champions Bengal — will take part. The U-20 boys’ category will also include Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra along with the above mentioned 11 teams in the rugby 7’s tourney.

Interestingly, Jharkhand will make use of the privilege of being the host state and field two teams each in the girls’ and boys’ groups. “We have 300 registered girls in our association. However, just 70 boys are registered with us. We want to give them opportunity to show their talents,” said the association’s general secretary K.K. Singh.

The winners of this championship will join the national rugby football camp, said Nandu Chandavarkar, the regional development manager of Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU).

“The teams will be divided into four groups. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the quarter-finals. The other teams will be relegated to the lower group. However, our approach is to let a team play the maximum number of matches so that players get maximum exposure and experience of playing against stronger opposition. Thus, no team will be knocked out of the tournament,” he said.