The Indian national rugby union team is ranked 83rd in the world (as of 11 June 2009 IRB Rankings), out of 95 teams. Their captain is Nasser Hussain, nicknamed "Nino" and they are currently being coached by South Africans Norman Laker and Henry Marnitz. There are, in total, 17,200 registered rugby players in India. They were admitted to the IRB in 2001, but it took three years before India managed to win a match - beating Pakistan 56-3 in the third tier competition of the Asian Biennial tournament.
In 2005, they started their attempt to qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup, but a 22-36 loss to Kazakhstan sent them out of the running for that tournament. They also disappointed with an 8-8 tie in Guam, but still finished second in their group of four teams thanks to beating Malaysia 48-12 - a massive improvement, as only two years earlier Malaysia had beaten them 20-13 in a friendly. However, as only the top team in the group qualified for the next stage, India were out. Their current record in IRB-recognised internationals is two wins, one tie, and fourteen losses. Bollywood actor Rahul Bose was formerly a member of the India national rugby union team.
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