Imagine a game where the win depends only on viewers’ likes and shares! Now, with no sports matches in times of lockdown, Rugby India launches TRY Series, a virtual tournament to keep rugby fans excited.The first-of-its kind virtual tournament will see club teams compete with each other to earn likes. The team with the most likes and shares will be crowned winner. TRY Series features rugby clubs from different states — in all 32 teams — playing 80 knockout matches in a span of two weeks (till May 24). Clearly focus is on clubs rather than the players. Besides Black Archers from Telangana and Delhi Hurricanes, some of the other teams include J&K Immortals, Madurai Veerans, CCFC Reds and RAM Marathas and Kerala Rugby Warriors. Increase popularity
Aditya Vutpala, joint secretary of Telangana Rugby Association is happy over the phone. Black Archers rugby club from Telangana (3455 votes) won the Day one match against CCFC Reds (2151 votes). He informs that the tournament hosted on social media platforms has only one aim: To popularise rugby and increase its fan base. “In lockdown, it is impossible to gather or play. Rugby India is using the lockdown time positively to raise awareness on the game and add more followers,” he says, adding, “Rugby’s presence in Telangana has been gradually rising, with more girls showing keen interest in this Olympic game.”
The online matches played on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram involve voting by rugby fans and sports enthusiasts. Whiles votes for each match are calculated from all three social media platforms — Rugby India has Facebook (30k+), Instagram (11.7 k+) and Twitter (3.5K+) followers. The club which gets more likes and shares in a 24-hour period moves on to the next round.
Mind game
The ‘Get into Rugby’ workshops conducted at schools in Telangana, especially Hyderabad, have been able to introduce the sport and generate interest among school-goers. Calling rugby a mind game, Aditya says, “It helps in physical as well as mental development; it is a technical game played with one’s mind and body and one has to think of opponent’s moves and move forward.”
He observes girls are more drawn to the game as it helps one learn self-defence skills. “The opponent could be be a body builder or physically stronger person, but with two just moves, we can put him down,” he adds.
Check out Rugby India social media pages to like your club!
