We recently commemorated the clubs 10 years in Rugby with a rendezvous with Rohit D’Souza. Today we have 3 of the core members of the first ever rugby team that was formed and fielded in the Mumbai Suburbs. We have with us Sudarshan Narasimhan(SN), Ashish Rane(AR) and Mandar Nalavade(MN) to tell us about the exciting times they had with the club while playing rugby. The lads were truly instrumental in the formation and upbringing of the rugby team at Mumbai Strikers SC. Let us speak to them and get to know how they laid the foundation for themselves and for the clubs first rugby team.
You were a part of the first ever rugby team fielded by Mumbai Strikers. Tell us about how you became a part of it.
MN - While in school, we were introduced to contact rugby by Mr. Pritom Roy. Mr. Roy was an Ex-India International Rugby player with immense experience in the sport. I started playing contact rugby since my 9th grade and thoroughly enjoyed it. Soon after we passed out from school, I had participated in MS’ Teen Cup post which we were invited for the football trials at MS. During our trials, the founder of MS Rohit D’Souza acknowledged that we had already played rugby during school and MS was also keen on starting with it’s first-ever rugby team. This is how I began my beautiful journey with MS Rugby.
AR - I was the first one to know about MS starting a rugby team via a school friend of mine who stays in Mulund. My friend and I then came to Nahur to meet Mr. Rohit D’Souza to understand about the plan about how we will go about the entire thing. Then I called upon my other friends from school to be a part of it with me.
SN - I was unfit & looking for a reason to cut down weight. I met Akshay Mestry from Nahur during the summer break after my first year in Engineering. He was a part of MS Rugby and invited me to train with MS at Nahur ground for a Rugby 7s tournament which was 3-4 weeks away and to be held at Bombay Gymkhana. I said yes with no second thoughts, but I had no idea about Rugby & what was coming my way. On the first day of training, I met Rohit D’Souza. I'm sure he remembers me as a fat kid wearing a colored t-shirt, 3/4th pants & a pair of trekking shoes running around on the wet & mucky Nahur ground. He mentored me there after & the rest is history. My first tournament was an adventurous experience. I was the designated unfit colossal of the team. For the first time ever in my life, I was a part of something & that is a special feeling I can never forget. It was Morgan, Farhad, Ashish, Ashutosh, Akshay & a couple of other boys along with me.
Rugby is a lesser known and lesser played sport compared to so many others in India. What were your thoughts when asked to join the MS Rugby Men's Team?
MN - Every coin has two sides. It is a bitter fact that rugby is a lesser-known sport in India, but I saw the other side of the coin as an opportunity to learn the sport quickly. Being a lesser-known sport, it allows you an opportunity to represent yourself and be part of the state and the national team. This mere opportunity to represent at the state and national level motivated me to join the MS Rugby Men's team.
AR - We were fortunate that our school played rugby when there were hardly any schools playing rugby at the time. After school, immediately I was asked by Rohit to initiate and start with the MS Rugby team. It was a picture perfect plan to continue even after school.
SN - As mentioned in the previous question, I didn't have much to do during the summer break & I was looking to lose weight. When Akshay invited me to train, I thought of giving it a shot for a week. The first week of training really intrigued me & I kind of fell in love with the sport. I did my research about the sport & understood the 5 core principles of rugby: Discipline, Respect, Integrity, Passion and Solidarity. I had never known any sport with such strong core values & these values were evident on the pitch wherein every player abides by them while training or during a game. I also really liked the club culture that MS inculcated. It was competitive when it came to sport but very convivial otherwise. There was no gap between players & coaches.
Tell us about the entire rugby journey. How did you all plan and trained for tournaments?
MN - Since we were very young and underdeveloped with regard to rugby, we lacked clarity on a lot of rules and techniques. We practiced touch rugby to improve our agility and the few basic moves to handle the ball. Participation in tournaments was a great challenge as all other teams in Mumbai who played had senior players. Playing with senior players was a great source of learning. We always ended up beating only one team, the Bombay Gym Colts.
AR - We had very little knowledge and experience to play rugby. But our skills and game plans developed more when professional coaches were invited to train us. We were losing the initial matches by points and tries, but gaining by experience and strategies. We started to perform gradually and got better after every match. We recruited and trained more and more new comers and our team was growing every day. It is a journey that cannot be forgotten!
SN - I played with MS for 2 seasons, after which I played Professional American football with EFLI for 1 and a half years. After finishing my contract period, I returned to rugby in 2013 with MS. I got an opportunity to play for Bombay Gymkhana in 2014. All India hosted by CCFC, Kolkata. Since then I have been playing 15s for Bombay Gymkhana & 7s for MS. In 2017. I was offered to work with Rugby India as the National Coordinator for the Get into Rugby program. I worked with Rugby India for 2 years. I was scouted for the National team's training camp in 2018. I cherish the moment I met Akshay Mestry for these reasons. Since rugby is played during rains, the season starts in June & typically ends in September. The goal is to compete in the All India championship. While training starts in May, each player is expected to keep a good level of fitness & stay injury free before season. I used to train in the gym twice a week. Since I'm a forward, strength, agility & endurance is the key factor. Endurance & agility training typically starts in March with shuttle running & HIIT stuff. Though keeping consistency is difficult due to work & travel, having a broad plan is vital to keep yourself in the mental zone of preparation. Training during season usually started with light sessions and then intensifies later with 2-3 times per week.
It's been 10 years for the MS Rugby team and we have evolved into training young ones in our academy and also a women's team. What training methods are adopted to create a supply of players with the same philosophy?
MN - I would like to congratulate MS on the success of the Women’s Rugby Team and for developing players like Ruchi Shetty who has represented the nation in a very short period of time. MS has now become very advance in terms of training and in organizing various events for rugby through which potential players have been scouted. I would also like to express my huge respect for Rohit for developing the slum boys and making them play the sport.
AR - Approaching schools near Nahur helped us get female teams at that moment. Today out of those some have played for Indian rugby team too. Also organizing touch rugby matches helped us make rugby popular in Nahur and in adjoining areas. Out of which some joined the sport.
SN - I was working as a coach with MS for a brief period. MS thrives on game based approach with short, engaging & intense training sessions which are fun & facilitate developing natural style of play for an athlete. This coaching pedagogy has helped MS achieve good player retention since every player learns the sport while having fun & making friends.
After playing rugby for a few years, you moved on to your own professions. What are you currently doing and do you still find time to train and play?
MN - Even if I have moved on to a different profession, Rugby has left a footprint in my life. I am currently working with a sports management firm for more than 3 years. Along with working, I have recently started my own Football Academy at Vikhroli. Even if I haven't played rugby for a long time, I do have a ball at home which I keep fidgeting!
AR - Luckily, I'm still associated with sports as my career and my kickboxing academy functions in Navi Mumbai and Mumbai regions. I still train and practice touch rugby 2-3 times a month with my kickboxing academy students. Also my wife Sheetal Maurya is an Ex-Indian Rugby player and that adds a lot of value. Therefore, we started rugby in our kickboxing academy.
SN - I moved to the United States in Jan 2020 to pursue a Master's Degree in Actuarial Science in the Fox School of Business, Temple University, Philadelphia. I have been training with my college rugby team. I cannot stay away from Rugby. It feels kind of bland if I don’t play rugby. Lately, due to the ongoing Covid 19 pandemic, the campus has been in a lockdown since March. I hope things will get back to normal by the Fall Semester & I'll get to run around with the elliptical ball.
How has MS as a club helped you prosper as an athlete or coach or an administrator within the club and outside?
MN - MS has played a very vital role in my life. The coaching techniques at MS embedded various sporting qualities such as Team Spirit, Professionalism, Efficiency, Discipline etc. These qualities have not only helped me evolve as a better person in sport, but also in my personal and professional life. Due to this, I have always put forward a word for MS to my family and friends.
AR - MS gave me a platform to play rugby after school when there was no rugby team in the Mumbai Suburbs. As an athlete, our fitness was developing while in practice at MS.
SN - MS forms the roots of my training & coaching philosophy. To break it down, assuming myself as an intern, I learned basic body dynamics while looking at athletes like Ravish D’Souza, Rakesh Patne & Arnold Mascarenhas. Rohit played a major role in mentoring me with coaching philosophy; How to break down goals for the season, developing team game style, how to plan training for the season. I also learnt communication methods, player welfare, community service, creating events. Basically, I learnt how to run a sports club. I picked up administrative techniques from Leon Menezes; Keeping records of attendance, documenting training sessions, self-assessment etc. These basics helped me big time with my World Rugby Educator license. Even if I meet any of them today, I learn something new. I get to know different perspective & the learning never ends or stops. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been introduced to Rugby & even more fortunate to have been a part of MS. I have made some great friends & met people who will always be special to me. I sometimes think what life would have been had I not met Akshay Mestry or said no to the invite. As a major learning, if someone trustworthy invites you for something you have never done in your life before, consider saying "YES", you never know, it could change your life.