Exclusive/ Coach Waisale Serevi Strives to Ignite National Passion for Rugby in India and Break Barriers

Rugby is deeply rooted in country of India as sport was played during British era. However, fanfare over it substantially declined as or disciplines like cricket and football took pace among sports fans. With Kabdi and Hockey rapidly gaining recognition, a man has taken up task to revitalize Rugby in India and restore its glory, that it h back in days. 

Republic sat down with ‘ King of Sevens’ Waisale Serevi, He Coach of Indian Men's and Women's Rugby Teams, where we spoke about sport's deep ties with India. He also opened up on his passionate journey to help Team India reach top levels. We also delved into past on how World Rugby Hall of Famer helped introduce sport in Olympics. He also spoke on his humble beginnings in Fiji and how playing on a Sunday got him in trouble as a kid.

Here are excerpts from interview  

1. India has a long history with rugby. However, nation's population is less knowledgeable about sport. nation's popular sports are being developed at grassroots levels. Is rugby's foundation strong from ground up?

I think rugby, I believe it's been in India longer than Fiji. When I saw a rugby club re what do you call? I forgot name. CCFC or something. I saw years it started and I thought y were like ahe. Rugby has been here for a while. More than Fiji. And we don't have that population like in India. But we still me it to top. We win World Cups in sevens and two Olympics and one silver in sevens rugby.
So, for me, I think first step to take is to try and do rugby awareness so that people of India can know. At moment, maybe 0.5 per cent of 99.95 per cent, y don't know rugby. Maybe 5 per cent or 1 per cent or 0.1 per cent knows rugby at moment, as we speak.

But population, yes, re's a big population here. And I believe we cannot all play cricket. We cannot all play soccer. We cannot all play basketball. We cannot all play lacrosse or any sports. re, you must be good at something. For me, in U.S., I go around a lot of states and do rugby camps and do awareness and create rugby teams and create kids. And for me, like you said, it's not a known sport. Yes, I agree. But I believe re are strong, big rugby players somewhere in India, somewhere in this place. 

first thing, first, it is awareness. It's like, for example, I would love to go to, for example, if I go to Bombay or wherever, do rugby camps and try and go to schools and introduce sport of rugby, because rugby, it is a great sport and it has core values, which is really important for rugby. So that's thinking that first thing I believe is to get awareness of rugby. It's been played all over world and it is a good sport. It has core values like respect, discipline, camarerie and stuff. So I believe it is a good sport. And I've seen rugby players, rugby players that I have with me, y are good. Training m and getting m to know little ABC 1, 2, and 3 of sport. Now y are learning and y have been progressing well so far.

2. Is it expensive for a budding sportsperson to take up sport of rugby in future?

I believe rugby is cheapest sport you can play. only thing you need is rugby boots, shorts, a T-shirt and socks. n you go play rugby. For example, for American football, you have to buy pding and all se things. In or sports, y use a lot of gear. But rugby, you just need a rugby boots, a shorts and a T-shirt. You are good for rugby. And it's not that expensive. And I believe it's a good sport for anyone, any shapes or sizes. You have a place in rugby, a position in rugby.

3. For safety, American football players don shoulder ps and helmets. Since rugby is a contact sport, injuries are likely to occur. How do you plan to heal from an injury as a player? How do you get rey for that?

I believe in any sports, y have ir own injuries. You get injured in any or sports. But rugby, I can say it's a physical sport. Sometimes you get injured. But we train players. Safety first. Now law of rugby has changed a lot since last 15 years or 10 years. It has changed for safety of players, which is, really, really good. I believe only thing is we always teach players how to contact. It's called pre-contact. How to tackle. How to use shoulder. How to take that player. Now in rugby, when you tackle a player, you cannot hit him and he flies that way and you fly this way. No, it's not allowed anymore. Before it was okay. Now you have to tackle player. You have to wrap and you have to take him to ground.

Those are safety measurements that World Rugby has taken. And I believe coaches, y teach players all basic skills, all fundamental skills of how to catch, how to pass before you go into contact. What are key points you need to do? When you get tackled, how do you place ball and stuff so you're safe? So I believe that is what we are teaching players. And if y do that properly, n it's good. And or thing is fitness. You have to go to gym and do weights in off-season. You have to run to stay conditioning because of non-stop of games. And I believe from my point of view, yes, way it is, it looks tough, but I believe we have necessary awareness and coaching that helps players to get better.

4. India has a wide range of sports leagues. re is PKL for Kabdi, ISL for football, and IPL for cricket. In response to fans' enthusiasm for game, HIL is also returning. Will a national rugby Sevens competition contribute to increased recognition?

I believe commercial-wise, TV-wise, for awareness, I believe that is not very far. In future, we'll try and get rugby like nationals, India, Rugby India National Sevens, where all states, y come in competition. I just hope that y get coverage, maybe for one-hour coverage, maybe semi-final, final, boys and girls, and U-18 and U-18 girls. I believe just for that period, it's only seven minutes, fourteen, twenty-one. So it's like 21 minutes. So it's not like one hour, maybe two hours of putting it on TV. So on side of awareness for rugby, that will be a great tool. Because people will watch and y will see, oh, this is rugby. And what we are trying to do now is to try and train boys and girls and U18 to try and compete at Asia Games in October, end of September, so that y can try and get medals, medal contenders, and represent India well.

Anor awareness I was thinking to go into, like example, a state, maybe West Bengal, since we're here, do a rugby camp, and like a combined camp. I always do that in US, and invite Kabdi players, invite soccer players, invite basketball players, invite volleyball players. All sports, y can come and try rugby.
You know, you're not hitting each or just to try and pass ball around. So when y go back, re might be some players re that would love to stay. That's what happened in US.
Even football players, y come and try rugby, y say, I want to stay, I don't want to go back. So y stayed and played rugby. So those are key important things for rugby to be much better known.
Every big thing starts with a small thing. We need to improve day by day, month by month, week by week, year by year.

So three things I would love to see. One is going to schools and introducing sport of rugby. Two, rugby awareness, like combined camps. Three is what we just talked about, you know, television coverage, just to show that rugby is here. And I believe out re in whole world now, y are texting me, friends from World Rugby, from Australia, New Zealand, all over world, Fiji, y're texting me, oh, we're so happy you're in India, trying to grow game re. So that's what I believe three things we should do.

5. As everyone is aware, Summer Olympics in 2024 came to an end, and Rugby Sevens were one of events. It turns out that Sir Waisale is reason for Rugby Sevens to be recognized as an Olympic sport. Could you just walk us through on how that panned out?

Since I was playing in that era when I was playing, that is like maybe 20, or 30 years ago. And I was playing good rugby, entertaining rugby. And not only me, or teams, it was like competitive. And everybody will always come, it's always a full stium, y watch, oh, let's go and watch, because of way we were playing. And n after World Rugby, it was late Bernard Lapasset from France. He was , he passed away and he asked me wher rugby, that World Rugby can go to IOC to be part of, to talk to m and persue for rugby. And I said, yeah, sure. That is best thing ever. Rugby has World Cup, Pan Pacific, Asia Games, all-American tournaments, Caribbean, African tournaments. only thing that rugby needs is Olympics. And Olympics needs rugby. It's more audience. And n it was good that I was so happy. It was an honour and privilege for me to be part of World Rugby, going to IOC. I went three times to persue m.

And n last one in Queenstown in New Zealand, I believe that was where it like, yes, we missed London 2012. And 2013-14, we me it. It was agreed in Copenhagen that rugby should be included in Olympics.
And even though I didn't play for Fiji, but I was happy to be part of bidding team representing Fiji and representing whole rugby nation to go to IOC with late John Alom and a couple of or senior players from or countries. And in end, first Olympics, we won our first-ever gold medal in 2016 in Rio. n in Japan, again, we won second medal, one gold and one bronze for girls. And this year in France, we have one gold, one silver. So it was an honour and privilege for me to represent rugby to get into Olympics.

6. Speaking of Olympics, India's rugby team has been playing well lately. Do you believe that an Indian team will play in Olympic Rugby Sevens in future?

Like I said, every big thing starts with a small thing. first thing first, we need to take is to try and get as many rugby awareness in country to try and get more and more, maybe triple or four-ple or whatever, amount of players that are playing now. It is good that y have rugby in or states that are here, which is good. And I believe re are more rugby players out re. more we get those players, more we upskill m. I believe nothing is impossible. We have some good facilities here. We've seen now SAI [Sports Authority of India] giving us facility in West Bengal and y are trying to help us with this, which is good.

most important thing is to try and get awareness and try and scout as many players and do rugby camps all over state and get as many into system so that we can train and track m. And now we have goals to go to Asian Games. I am here also to try and give a hand and help Rugby India. I think that is goal. That's where we want to go. We don't want to stay where we are. That is what life is all about. You need to improve day by day, week by week, month by month, year by year. So most important thing, is what step to take. We are at right step now. We are at right place. Now next step, it's crucial. What we want to do first, to get awareness. Second, to get interest of players to come and play. Try Rugby. It's a family sport. It's all about a team, not an individual.

7. What distinguishes a rugby player from or sporting disciplines?

I think Rugby, as I say, it has core values and it's all about helping people. It is all about team. It's individual. No, no, no. That is not Rugby. Rugby, it's all about us. It's all about a family. It's more than Rugby. It's more than a team. It's a family. Everybody looks after one anor. Nobody is a hero in Rugby. We help one anor to try and make next player get better than who's coaching. That is what Rugby is all about. That's why Rugby, I love Rugby because it has those core values in place. You remember that it's not all about you. It's all about people next to you. It's all about team. It's all about working toger. It's all about helping one anor. Most importantly, to try and help players to be better than you as a coach, as a top Rugby player. 

I remember when in USA, my business partner told me, 'Hey, my daughter is not enjoying lacrosse and soccer. You need to take her to Rugby training.' She was 16 years old and I said, OK. I picked her up from house and I told her, ‘Hey, we have to go training tomorrow, 3 pm.’ What? Rugby. n I picked her. first time in car, she was like this at back. 16-year-old girl. She was so upset. Second, third, fourth time, as soon as she came in car, she went like wow. n I said, ‘Emily, what happened?’ I was driving in reverse mirror. What happened? And n she said, 'Oh, soccer players, se are so mean. lacrosse, y're so mean. y don't help me and y have this small group and this and this. But Rugby players, y help me. y come and talk to me. y welcome me and I'm so happy. In four days, I have a lot of friends,' And I told her, ‘Emily, in Rugby, nobody is a hero. Everybody helps one anor,’ That's thing I love about Rugby. That's why I love Rugby. People help one anor with little things y have.

8. If you hn't pursued Rugby, n which sport you h most interest on?

I play soccer. I started from soccer from my area. I played soccer and I thought I was good at soccer. I played right wing in soccer. And I scored some tries in club Rugby. n after that, I stopped because it was played on Sunday. My family said, no, you're not playing Sunday. It's a big thing in Fiji. Nobody's training and working and playing on Sunday. So, I stopped. I took a turn to Rugby. Yeah. And worst thing, I was caught because I h to go to Sunday school, you know, to church. One Sunday, I h my socks on. n I went, I missed church and I went to soccer field. I was playing. worst thing is I was on newspaper or day. And I got a beating from home. That's why I stopped.