Rugby can be viable career option in another 3-4 years: Rugby India boss

Professional rugby is yet to become a financially viable career option in India but national federation president Rahul Bose believes that the Rugby Premier League can bring about a change in the scenario in the next three to four years.
Bose, 57, a reputed actor who has featured in critically acclaimed films like ‘English August’, Mr and Mrs Iyer, and Chameli, has represented the country in 17 international games and has been the face of the sport in India for more than two decades.
With the GMR-backed RPL starting on June 15, Bose was chuffed about Indian players not only getting the kind of exposure that is needed to become better version of themselves, but also earning contracts ranging between Rs 50,000 to Rs 5.5 lakh for the two-week event.
“The top player was bought for five and a half lakhs in the auction. Can this be a financially viable sport for somebody to follow or for somebody to pursue? Definitely, in another three to four years from now,” Bose told PTI in an exclusive interview.
From his time when lovers of rugby and all those passionate about the game didn’t earn a single penny, Rugby India is now paying its national campers anywhere between Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh, which is impressive considering the current market of the sport.
“Our sport is played by the poorest of the poor. Our national campers earn between Rs 60,000 to Rs 1 lakh. So, if I am currently looking at an annual income of Rs 3 lakh, a small family can just about make a living of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 staying in a village.
“I am not at all saying this is enough. We need to put in as much money as possible in their hands,” Bose explained.
The Rugby India head is happy that out of 1600 plus registered players in the country, his federation is in a position to help at least a sizeable number of them financially.
“But are we in a position where we can say that at least out of our 1600 players, who play this sport at the state level, can we at least give this kind of income to about every year to about maybe 200 players? That should be the key.”
Bose then explained why RPL is important for Indian Rugby.
“If you look at Indian cricket, for example, it started in 1932. But, our first significant series victory was in 1971, 40 years in an eight-nation sport at the time. So, in a 120-nation sport, it might take us 75 years to be in that top 25 percent.
“Now what a well-run league does is, it collapses this time and creates a pool of talent for the country, which normally you would not do so fast.”
He believes that the work of a federation is 20 times more the work of any league.
“The work of a federation is 20 times the work of any league and the rugby federation was awarded the ‘Best sports federation for development in this country’ by FICCI three months back. We are an extremely ethical, transparent, accountable, efficient process oriented organization.”
Asked about the gulf in standard between Indian players and those coming from premier nations like New Zealand and South Africa, Bose felt the gap can only be bridged by playing with the best.
“So there is definitely a gulf. It is not a big gulf, but there is a gulf, which is being bridged by what we call the ‘Bridge players’, like Canadians, the Germans, and the players from Hong Kong. We will see how this plays out.
“We’ll be tracking it very carefully during this edition of the lead, and we will obviously do whatever we can to make sure that the rugby is competitive and world class in the format.”
The main aim for India players would be to upgrade their skill-sets and it wouldn’t just depend on a tournament but also on systems put in place by Rugby India.
“How can it not (upgrading skills) be? But is that what we are relying on to upgrade the skills of our national team? Of course not,” he said.
“It would be narrow minded and lazy of a federation. As I said, the work we do is 20 times more than this. As soon as this RPL gets over on June 29, on July 7, we have our under 18 tournament nationals. So we are not letting the grass grow under our feet.
“We are hosting the U-20 Asians this year in Bihar’s Rajgir. So in August it’s a packed season. This is just one aspect of it. Will it help? Certainly? Will it define us? No.”
On his professional work front, Bose will share the screen with Ayushman Khurana in Karan Johar and Guneet Monga’s next film.
“It’s for the big screen. I’m doing a film with Ayushman Khurana that Karan Johar and Guneet Monga are co-producing. It’s an action-comedy movie, and it’s good. And I’m really happy with what I’ve done. So we’re finishing the shooting in July, and hopefully 2026, you’ll see it.”