Maidan 7s – Jungle Crows Rugby

The Jungle Crows Rugby, part of the Jungle Crows Association in India, are hosting the Maidan 7s rugby tournament in May 2019.

Maidan 7s rugby

The Maidan 7s is a small rugby tournament held by the rugby club in Kolkata which has been running for a few years as a warm up to the local 15s rugby season. The tournament hopes to have 12 men’s teams and 4 women’s teams. Most of the players are from Kolkata but some players fly in from around India.

In 2018 the tournament had the RAF Spitfires rugby team come in from the UK to take part.

The cost of entering is Rs 1000 per team (around $15USD).

Who are the Jungle Crows?

The Jungle Crows started in 2004 when Paul Walsh MBE started to practice and play rugby with youths on fields near in Kolkata for fun, teaching the game to friends and colleagues. In 2010 they started Khelo Rugby.

Khelo means ‘play’ and Paul said “it is the best thing to shout to keep children running with the ball. It was strange enough getting the odd shaped ball out without then having to explain what “Jungle Crows” was, so Khelo Rugby worked better as a community project.”

A film is also being made about the Jungle Crows, called Jungle Cry, and tells the true story of a team from India who went to the UK in 2007 and played in a tournament for disadvantaged kids organised by the UK charity Tour Aid.

• Date: 25-26 May 2019
• Venue: Kolkata Maidan, India

You can read our interview with Paul Walsh MBE who started the Jungle Crows and how they implement rugby development in Kolkata.