Mumbai, June 25 (IANS) After waiting in the wings for his opportunity, Bhupinder Singh eventually made his way into the Rugby Premier League as a replacement player after Sumit Roy from Hyderabad Heroes picked up an injury.

His patience, hard work and determination paid off on Tuesday evening, when he registered his first try of the tournament to help the table-toppers register a 17-0 win against Chennai Bulls.

This was Hyderabad Heroes’ seventh win in eight matches, helping them confirm their spot in the playoffs. Reflecting on his first try at the RPL, Bhupinder shared, “I am very happy to register my first try. World champions are playing against me and I am happy to beat them. I will continue to do my best in the team and leave no stone unturned, even when I am playing for India. I will always do my best and give it my all.”

Bhupinder has always been a sportsperson at heart. With his focus on athletics, he joined the army through the sports quota before being introduced to rugby in 2021, because of his speed and agility.

“I have played in the army and the services team. I have played twice in the 15s Army India team. I went to Qatar to play in Division 2. In 2024, I got a chance to play in the first division in Sri Lanka. I will continue to prove myself and play with all my heart. I will show what I can do on the ground”, he mentioned.

Having made his way into the RPL, the 24-year-old had to overcome the setback of not being selected in the initial draft of Indian players. Looking back on that, he said, “It was difficult. I was in the list, but there were players who were better than me. I was in extras, but I was ready. I was working hard day and night in practice. I believed that I would get a chance someday, and I will show my 100%.”

Sharing his experience of entering into the Hyderabad Heroes setup, Bhupinder said, “When I came here for the first time, I felt strange. Everyone is a world-class player. I didn’t know how to play with them. When the warm-up and training started, I started to understand them. I understood their abilities, I understood what they were teaching and today I am playing in front of you.”

RPL is the first-ever franchise-based rugby league in the world, bringing some of the best rugby sevens players to India. Elaborating on his experience and how the league is providing a platform for rugby in India, Bhupinder added, “The league has done very well for our players to help them level up. We are also feeling very proud that players who have participated in the Olympics have come here. It feels very good to play with them.”

“The best thing for me is that all the Indian, national and state players are getting a chance to play here. They are getting a very good experience with the world players. In rugby, players have a lot of quickness and energy. We also have that, but they have the next level. By practicing with them, we are improving our speed, tackle, defence and attack. We are also learning how to move, where to take the ball and from where. This is what we get to learn”, he concluded.

–IANS

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