LAHORE: The Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) has decided to hold the inaugural U-16 Rugby 7s Championship from May 7 in Multan.

“Seven teams from Punjab will exhibit their talent in the two-day activity which is the first U-16 tournament being organised in Southern Punjab,” PRU president Fawzi Khawaja told APP here on Thursday.

“The competition is a part of the PRU development programme to expand the span of its activities in Southern Punjab to motivate the youth to take up rugby as a sport.

“We have immense rugby talent and that is why we are now focusing on southern Punjab.”

The participating teams include Lahore, Faisalabad, Multan, Vehari, Kot Addu, Bahawalpur and Haroonabad.

“The players of all the participating teams preparing and we expect thrilling matches in the event,” added Fawzi.

He said the PRU is focusing at grassroots level.

“It is the result of our hard work and solid efforts that we have women rugby teams in Fata, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh,” he said. “U-16 tournaments are the nurseries to groom young talent to form national junior teams and to have a good reservoir of players.”

Published in Dawn, May 6th, 2016