Rugby's IPL moment? Derek Jones happy to be at forefront as Rugby Premier League touted as launchpad to Olympic dream

India has increasingly grown into a market for diverse sports leagues. What Lalit Modi conceptualized 17 years ago with the razzmatazz of the Indian Premier League not only changed the landscape of cricket globally, but also paved the way for other sports to follow suit. After the success of tournaments like the Pro Kabaddi League, India, on Sunday, uncorked another fresh bottle of wine — the Rugby Premier League (RPL).
Like cricket, rugby too was introduced to India by the British in the 1870s, although it initially involved only a few scratch matches played in Calcutta and Madras. It wasn't until 1998 that the sport got its own governing body in the country, which later became a full member of World Rugby. The national team made their first attempt to qualify for the Rugby World Cup in 2005.
While that dream still stands, this could well be the breakout moment that gives the sport the momentum it needs. Bollywood actor Rahul Bose, president of Rugby India, believes: why not now? After years of fine-tuning the idea, Bose eventually launched the RPL, which was granted a 15-day window by the world body. Legendary player Derek Jones feels this could be the first step toward India establishing themselves on the global rugby map.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, the former New Zealand captain and Hall of Famer—now head coach of the Hyderabad Heroes—opened up about the brand-new concept and how it could potentially pave the way for India's first Olympic medal in the sport. Jones also touched on his own playing career and transition into coaching after retiring in 2017. Here are the excerpts…
It's been good. The last time I was here was as a player, and under different circumstances, we didn't really get to see much of India. We only had a few days where we managed to get out and do a little bit of sightseeing, but I think the experience was good. I'm still pretty close to the ground when it comes to rugby because I'm sort of recently retired. Good to see some familiar faces and some of the international players that are here—some of them I've actually played against. It's also awesome to see the bridge players and the local Indians really mixing it up. It's been a fun two weeks of mixing cultures and personalities, and hopefully we get to showcase a little bit of that over the next couple of weeks when the competition starts.
I think rugby culture in India is definitely heading in the right direction. Organisations and franchise owners have put their hands up to support the competition. Moreover, the quality of players I've seen and the experience across different teams is really exciting for the future of rugby in India. Hopefully, over the next couple of weeks, with the addition of international and bridge players, and with some good support, the product will inspire a lot of youngsters in India to pick up a rugby ball.
It's exciting. Sevens has kind of been waiting for something like this. There have always been talks about other countries wanting to do something similar or run massive tournaments, but India has taken it to another level. Franchises have stepped up, creating its own league and bringing in international players and coaches from around the world to really showcase it. Hopefully, this is just the start of many years to come.
I think this is key to where Sevens is potentially heading. It's part and parcel of what Sevens wants to do—growing the sport globally. It fits nicely in terms of expanding to different regions. There's a massive population here, and within that, there are some rugby followers. I think India is looking for more sports and an opportunity to aim for an Olympic medal. That's something countries like India definitely aspire to. So this is a great start, and hopefully we can be a part of that first piece of history to help them get there.
I think it's a great mix. The opportunity to go through the draft process, the picks, and the auctions was a really cool concept. I was obviously on the other side of the world and didn't really have a chance to look deeper into the local Indian players, but we've got an assistant coach, Te-Luke, who provided advice from the ground here. They gave us as much information as they could. The picks came down to making sure we had forwards, backs, and specialists in different positions.
At the end of the day, the proof will be in the pudding tomorrow as we start the competition and see how it all comes together. There's still a lot of learning to be done, and I think a lot of learning on the fly—game by game. Coaches and players will look to tweak things and change things as needed.
I'd love to say all our players! We've got some local Indian boys who were part of the Nationals final—some from the winning team—and obviously Prince Khatri is well known in Indian rugby. Then we've got Moreno and Nasova from the Dream Team in the World Series. So, there's excitement across the board. But again, it's a team sport—it's not about individuals. The team that connects the best and the fastest, given the short turnaround, will be the real test.
Oh, I mean, yeah—you've got to look at it differently. There's a lot more work going on behind the scenes. I'm still a young, new coach, so I'm looking to do a lot of learning here. It's been one of those environments where I've had to learn the hard way. The organisation is new to rugby—there's a massive pickleball following, cricket obviously, and other sports—but hopefully I can share as much knowledge as I can so rugby can grow as one of their other sports. I'm really grateful for the opportunity to be cutting my teeth here. India is one of the first stops for me in terms of my international coaching career.
Coaching can be done in many ways, and at the end of the day, it's about coaching or managing people. So I dove a bit deeper into that side. My studies were to give me the best opportunity—when I had the chance to coach a team or the next generation—that I'd have a few more tricks up my sleeve for getting the best out of individuals.
This is now a great opportunity for me to put my Master's to work and use the research I've done, along with my coaching philosophies and methods. Hopefully, if all goes well, we'll get some good results from it.
I don't think it's tougher, but the game's definitely changing, and there's a big demand on players. On the other hand, there were a lot more tournaments when I was playing, and games were longer. So, there are different dynamics now. Players today are absolute specimens—fast runners, big boys who can tackle hard.
It's not just what they do on the field, but also mentally—how they manage themselves off it. If we're talking about the World Series now, the format has changed. It's really hard to win, whether in the World Series, Challenger Series, or other tiers. So in terms of Sevens as a sport, it's definitely one of the most competitive out there.
That was more when I was doing my current job, focusing on athlete advocacy and ambassadorial work. Going to different tournaments was my way of staying connected to the sport. Hong Kong Rugby Union, in particular, was always great in inviting me back to be part of their events. That was my way of staying in touch—being on the ground and seeing where the game was.
I'm grateful for those opportunities, but now, I think I've been out of the game long enough, and it feels like the right window to start building my coaching CV. Hopefully, this is a good start and leads to many more years to come.
Well, I think the country is getting excited about other sports and newer generational sports. I'm pretty sure there'll be a lot of interest around this new game in town being played in Mumbai. Since rugby is an Olympic sport, there's genuine global interest. Hopefully, if we showcase a good product, we'll see excited boys and girls in India wanting to play rugby sevens very soon.
I think part and parcel of professional sport is professional resources—getting the right people in. That means coaches, strength and conditioning trainers, medical staff, managers, and more. All of these bring valuable insights into how the rugby community functions.
A lot of these professionals would have experience with different organisations and sports and know how to manage things at that level. Rugby has its own intricacies, and the more we share that knowledge and get these people involved, the better it will be for everyone.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

New Indian Express

18 minutes ago

• New Indian Express

Florian Wirtz joins list of most expensive soccer signings in history

Florian Wirtz became one of the most expensive players in soccer history when the Germany playmaker joined Liverpool from Bayer Leverkusen on Friday for a fee of up to 116 million pounds ($156 million). Neymar: $262 million (222 million euros) Paris Saint-Germain shattered the world-record transfer fee by signing the Brazil superstar from Barcelona in August 2017. It was more than double the outlay of Manchester United to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus for $116 million a year earlier. It remains the record transfer fee. Kylian Mbappé: $216 million (180 million euros) A few weeks after buying Neymar, PSG also secured a loan deal for Mbappé — then the rising star of French soccer playing for Monaco — that included the option to make the move permanent in 2018. PSG did so, making it an outlay of nearly $500 million on two players. Philippe Coutinho: $192 million (160 million euros) Flush with cash after selling Neymar a year earlier, Barcelona spent most of it in a deal to buy Brazil playmaker Coutinho from Liverpool for a Spanish record fee. Moises Caicedo: $146 million (115 million pounds) The Ecuador midfielder's move was previously the most expensive deal by a British club, with Chelsea buying him from Brighton in August 2023. João Félix: $140 million (126 million euros) Atletico Madrid triggered a buyout clause in Félix's contract to sign the Portugal forward from Benfica in August 2019. Jude Bellingham: $139 million (128.5 million euros) The England star got his big move to Real Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in June 2023, for an initial up-front fee of 103 million euros plus add-ons linked to performance. Antoine Griezmann: $134 million (120 million euros) Atletico could afford to sign Félix after selling France forward Griezmann to Barcelona for a similar fee a few weeks earlier. Neymar: $98 million (90 million euros) Outside from Europe, the biggest transfer deal also involved Neymar when he joined Al Hilal, a team in the Saudi Pro League, from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2023. That came at the height of Saudi Arabia's push to sign high-end soccer talent to ignite the oil-rich state's domestic league.

First Post

25 minutes ago

• First Post

Neeraj Chopra remains focused on improvement despite victory in Paris: 'So many things we have to change'

Neeraj Chopra emerged triumphant in the Paris Diamond League meet on Friday with a throw of 88.16m in his first attempt, standing on top of the podium after a series of second-place finishes. The two-time Olympic medallist, however, chose to focus on his shortcomings after the victory. read more Neeraj Chopra secured his first victory of the 2025 season in the Paris Diamond League meet on Friday, 20 June. PTI After enduring multiple second-placed finishes last year including at the Paris Olympics and the Diamond League finals, Neeraj Chopra was back to winning ways on Friday. The Indian javelin star didn't breach the 90-metre mark like he did in Doha – for the first time in his career – last month but managed to win the Paris Diamond League meet nevertheless with a best throw of 88.16 metres. Chopra's winning throw, which came in his very first attempt, was enough to beat Germany's Weber, who finished second with best effort of 87.88m which also came in his first attempt. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I'm happy with the throw. It was my first throw and it was good start, and I was hoping for the throw to be really good today. My run-up was really fast today. I can't control my speed. But I'm happy with the result and first position,' Chopra said in an interview after winning the Paris meet at Stade Sebastien Charlety. Still some work to be done, says Chopra after Paris victory The 27-year-old, who currently trains with Czech javelin legend Jan Zelezny, added that he still needs to work on his control along with a stronger core and body if he is to breach the 90-metre mark on a regular basis. 'Yes, I need some more control when I throw, like on the attack. We are working on it in training, but still, there are so many things we have to change, and I need maybe a stronger core and stronger body for throwing,' added Chopra, who had recently been conferred the honorary rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Territorial Army. 'It's just a matter of time and rhythm… getting more and more competitions. '…like timing, because I feel really good (in the) run-up, but the timing was not so good when I threw (the javelin). I quickly go left, and it is not good. I need to throw to the front, like with the chest, and go up with the javelin. We are working on it,' he added. Weber had defeated Chopra at the Doha Diamond League meet on 16 May with a best effort of 91.06m, dampening the latter's feat of finally conquering the 90-metre mark for the first time in his career with a best effort of 90.23m. Chopra will next be seen in action at Golden Spike Ostrava, a gold-level meeting on the World Athletics Continental Tour in Czech Republic, before turning his attention to the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic, a World Athletics category A event that takes place in Bengaluru on 5 July. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD His focus this year, however, will be on defending his title at the World Athletics Championships that takes place in Tokyo in September.

The Hindu

31 minutes ago

• The Hindu

Neeraj Chopra: Need to work on core muscles and make my body stronger

Star Indian javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra said he will need to work harder on his core muscles and make his body stronger to consistently log 90-plus distances in international competitions. Body's core muscles play an extremely vital role in generating power in a sport like javelin throw. Chopra, the two-time Olympic medallist, clinched his first Diamond League title in two years on Friday with a throw of 88.16m but fell short of his personal best throw of 90.23m registered at the Doha Diamond League earlier this year, which fetched him the second spot behind German rival Julian Weber. 'Yes, I need some more control when I throw, like on the attack. We are working on it in training, but still, there are so many things we have to change, and I need maybe a stronger core and stronger body for throwing,' said Neeraj, 27, after winning the title in a star-studded field that had five throwers from the coveted 90m club. In a sport like javelin, core muscles help in generating and transferring power from the lower body to the upper body, which ultimately impacts the throwing distance and accuracy. Chopra said it is a matter of time before he finds consistency and is able to match the expectations of his fans. READ: Paris Diamond League: Paulino pips Naser in women's 400m, Cherotich beats Chemutai in steeplechase 'It's just a matter of time and rhythm... getting more and more competitions.' The ace athlete said he was happy with his run-up, but when it comes to timing of the throw, he needs to put in some more effort. '...like timing, because I feel really good (in the) run-up, but the timing was not so good when I threw (the javelin). I quickly go left, and it is not good. I need to throw to the front, like with the chest, and go up with the javelin. We are working on it,' Chopra said. Chopra, who is currently being coached by the legendary javelin thrower Jan Zelezný, said he was looking forward to the Ostrava Golden Spike athletics meet on June 24, and the four days in between will give him time to recover. The Indian has a packed schedule with back-to-back competitions coming up, including the inaugural Neeraj Chopra Classic in Bengaluru on July 5, which is a World Athletics category A event. ALSO READ: Neeraj Chopra wins first Diamond League title in two years after finishing top in Paris 'I will compete in Ostrava after four days on June 24. So, yes, I need some recovery. I'm very excited with this (Neeraj Chopra Classic) also. It's really something that I feel I did for my country and people are sporting. 'Indian people are sporting, and they are following javelin (sport) after the Tokyo Olympics, and I'm very excited. In the future, I'm thinking of making this event (Neeraj Chopra Classic) big,' he added. The Tokyo Olympic gold medallist added that he would certainly strive for another 90-plus throw in the World Championships scheduled later this year in Tokyo. 'I'm expecting, like, hoping for some 90m throw again (in the world championship) because I broke that barrier in Doha. So now I believe I can do it some more. But let's see, it depends on the weather and good condition, how the body feels. Maybe I will throw far in this season.'