Hohhot, September 13, 2025: India’s U18 Girls’ team delivered a spirited performance to book their place in the semi-finals of the Asia Rugby Emirates Rugby 7s U18 Championship 2025, while the Boys’ side showed resilience in a tough pool, highlighted by a strong win over Qatar and a fighting display against pool leaders Hong Kong China.
The Girls’ team, captained by Anshu Kumari, opened against Asia’s powerhouse Japan, with Anshu striking first for India before Japan powered to a 50-7 win. The team showed tremendous character to regroup, edging Uzbekistan 14-5 in their second match thanks to tries from Anshu Kumari and Mamali Singh, with Vijayshree Rathore and Arti Kumari converting. In their decisive third pool game, India secured a semi-final berth by overcoming Malaysia 24-5. Anshu (2 tries), Mamali, and Arti were on the scoreboard, with the latter adding two conversions as well to seal the win.
With two victories from three matches, India’s U18 Girls finished second in their pool and will face hosts China in the semi-final tomorrow at 7:55 am.
In the Boys’ competition, India endured a difficult start against hosts China, falling 0-36, but bounced back in style with a commanding 24-5 victory over Qatar. Goldan Kumar, Sagar Prakash, Bharat Kisan, and Charan Hembram crossed for tries, with Goldan adding two conversions. Their final pool match saw India give last year’s runners-up Hong Kong China their sternest test of the day – taking the lead through tries from Pushpender, Pranav, and Attma Murmu before going down 19-29. India finished third in Pool A and will now contest the 5th-8th place playoffs.
You can watch all matches LIVE on Asia Rugby’s YouTube Channel.
To know all the results, please visit, Girls matches: LINK | Boys matches: LINK
Results Summary:
Boys – India 0-36 China | India 24-5 Qatar | India 19-29 Hong Kong China
Girls – India 7-50 Japan | India 14-5 Uzbekistan | India 24-5 Malaysia
India’s Fixtures – September 14, 2025
Boys – 5th-8th Place Playoffs: India vs Kazakhstan – 8:45 am
Girls – 1st-4th Place Semi-final: India vs China – 7:55 am