Indian Women Finish Sixth in ARESS 2026 Round 1 as Men Complete Debut Campaign in Suzhou

Suzhou, China, August 30, 2026: India’s Senior Women’s Rugby Sevens team finished sixth in Round 1 of the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series (ARESS) 2026 in Suzhou, China, matching their sixth-place finish from last year, while the Senior Men’s Team completed their first-ever campaign in the Series with a 12th-place finish.

The Women’s Team began Day 2 with a 0-17 defeat to Hong Kong China in the quarter-finals, sending India into the 5th-8th place playoffs. India responded strongly, securing a commanding 19-0 victory over the United Arab Emirates to set up a fifth-place playoff against Kazakhstan. In a closely fought contest, India twice found the try line through Bhumika Shukla as they fought back from 0-12 down to level the score at 12-12. Kazakhstan, however, regained the lead and held on for a 17-12 victory, leaving India sixth in Round 1.

India had qualified for the quarter-finals after a strong opening day in Suzhou. The team began with a 14-10 victory over the United Arab Emirates, before producing a convincing 24-5 win against Iran. India then faced defending champions Japan in their final pool match, going down 0-52 to finish second in the pool and progress to the quarter-finals.

For the Senior Men’s Team, the opening round marked India’s first appearance in the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series after earning promotion from the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy in 2025. The campaign presented a significant challenge against established teams at Asia’s highest level of annual regional Sevens competition.

India registered their first win of the Series on Day 2, producing a strong 26-5 victory over Singapore in their final classification match. After facing Japan, UAE and Singapore in the pool stage on Day 1, India entered the 9th-12th place classification matches, where they faced Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Singapore.

The sixth-place finish sees the Indian women match their result from 2025, when they also finished sixth after entering the competition ranked 10th. The Women’s Team will now turn its attention to the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled from October 1-3, before shifting their focus to the Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series for Round 2 in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on 17-18 October. The Men’s Team, meanwhile, will also return to action in Colombo, with the overall Series rankings to be determined after the two rounds.