Kabul boys tackle tag and touch

Passion for the oval ball and a thirst for expertise brought three young boys all the way from Kabul to Calcutta to master the techniques of tag and touch rugby.

The three members of the under-19 Afghan rugby team are spending a fortnight ' January 25 to February 10 ' in Calcutta to train under the city-based Jungle Crows, a rugby club formed by former UK diplomat Paul Walsh. The trio, on their return to Afghanistan, will train the rest of the team members.

The former coach-cum-manager of Jungle Crows, Zaffar Khan, went to Afghanistan in May last year to train the players. "We learnt the techniques of the game from him, but 10 days were not enough and we kept requesting him to invite us to India to help improve our passing and defence skills," said Sayed Mustafa, one of the players from Afghanistan.

Introduced to the sport about a year ago, the under-19 Afghan rugby team has already played a tournament in Pakistan in December last year and managed to finish third.

The lack of adequate infrastructure, proper grounds and an experienced coach in their country has brought the Afghan boys to Calcutta, where they are training at the Rangers' Club ground. "The boys here follow a more disciplined schedule with four days of practice and one day at the gymnasium to keep fit," said Mustafa.

"They have played more tournaments and have greater experience of the game. We will surely benefit from the association," said Khanjer Big, in broken Hindi.

The climate, too, is a welcome change from the freezing cold that Afghanistan experiences at this time of the year. "There is knee-deep snow in Afghanistan now," Khanjer said.

But is language not a barrier? Khoja Naseer is quick to dismiss the hurdle. "If we have enough passion in us, language is the last thing to be worried about," said Naseer in Pashtu, translated by his friend Khanjer.

Coaches Sunny Singh and Sailen Tudu of Jungle Crows say the Afghans have the perfect physique for the game. "Their size and build is just what is needed for the game," Tudu said. "Once they know the rules of the game and pick up the skills, they can destroy any team."

But it hasn't been all play for the Afghan boys on their first visit to Calcutta. They have already visited Aquatica, South City Mall and New Market and tasted street food. "We loved pani puri and papri chat. We cannot carry them home with us but what we can take back is the love and hospitality of the Indians," said Khanjer.