Dehradun, July 9, 2025: The Under-18 girls of Bihar maintained their winning streak over Odisha to successfully defend their title at the 2025 Junior National Rugby 7s Championship in Dehradun. Entering the final without conceding a single point throughout the tournament, Bihar registered a hard-fought 14-5 victory, marking their third straight win over their closest rivals.
Bihar and Odisha have firmly established themselves as the top two teams at this level, regularly clashing in finals over the past few years. This year’s summit clash was a repeat of the 2022 and 2024 Junior Nationals final, as well as the Khelo India Youth Games 2025 final held earlier this year in Patna – where Bihar also emerged dominant.
Bihar took early control of the final, scoring two tries and converting both to build a strong first-half lead. Odisha responded with a spirited second-half fightback and became the first team in the tournament to score against Bihar, but it wasn’t enough to dethrone the reigning champions. With this win, Bihar have now claimed three of the last four titles at the Junior Nationals.
In the third-place playoff, Maharashtra edged surprise package Uttar Pradesh 17-12 to complete the podium. Maharashtra, who also finished third in last year’s edition, had to dig deep after trailing 12-0 at one stage. Uttar Pradesh impressed in their first-ever appearance at this stage of the tournament, signalling their rise as a competitive force.
Anshu Kumari led Bihar’s campaign with an impressive 11 tries, but the tournament’s top scorer was Aliyajasmin of Karnataka, who finished with 56 points, just one more than Anshu.
The focus of the 10th edition of the Junior National Rugby 7s Championship now shifts to the U-18 Boys’ tournament, which will take place on July 12 and 13.
Results Summary:
Final:
Bihar 14-5 Odisha
For Bihar:
Alpana Kumari (Score: 10)
Saloni Kumari (Score: 4)
For Odisha:
Manisha Majhi (Score: 5)
Third Place Playoff:
Maharashtra 17-12 Uttar Pradesh
For Maharashtra:
Anushka Sadashiv Sankpal (Score: 5)
Londhe Aditi Sakharam (Score: 2)
Rutuja Vasant Kamble (Score: 5)
Pranjali Bandu Bharate (Score: 5)
For Uttar Pradesh:
Khushi (Score: 10)
Alhama (Score: 2)