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Jug Is Spreading The Rugby World.
20/05/2006
Scunthorpe rugby player Jug Johal bathed in the 'Pool of Nectar', holy water for Sikhs, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar during a visit to India.
He also visited the Sports Authority of India at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala and laid the foundation for rugby to flourish in Punjab. Johal, a technical director of the British Asian Rugby Association (BARA), flew out to India to help promote the game in his family's native region.
He had meetings with executive directors of both the National Institute of Sport and the Asian Rugby Football Federation (ARFF) during his 10-day trip.
"I went there to try and develop the game in Punjab and assist in the development of clubs," said Johal.
"I had a meeting with the executive director of the National Institute of Sport and the general secretary of the Asian Rugby Football Federation who is developing touch rugby in Punjab.
"He explained to me he had tried to develop the sport for the last four or five years and that he had tried to make contact with the India Rugby Football Union."
Johal discovered the Asian Rugby Football Federation, though well-established in Punjab, was not affiliated with the India Rugby Football Union (IRFU).
"The India Rugby Football Union didn't know rugby was being played in Punjab so they have never had any presence on the rugby stage," he added.
Johal subsequently set up a meeting between the two organisations, the ARFF and IRFU, in Bombay.
"I couldn't go because it was such a short trip but I am proud of the part I played in getting the two forces together," he said.
"Punjab have now been invited to compete in the India National Games.
"It's a massive breakthrough and rugby can flourish in Punjab now.
"The National Institute of sport is one of the best I have ever seen. The facilities are excellent.
"All of the national teams for boxing, wrestling, and football, are based there, and the executive director has said they are going to build a rugby pitch and set-up an academy.
"This will enable students to gain scholarships to play rugby and study at the same time."
Johal spent some of his trip visiting Punjab villages to try and promote the game and he visited the Golden Temple.
"I had never been to Punjab before. There was so much interest from the kids when they saw a different shaped ball," he said.
"There would be four or five playing at the start and very quickly it would be a game involving 40 or 50 children. To see that was amazing.
"The Golden Temple was amazing too. I went there for the ritual of bathing in its water. It was quite trip and it meant a lot to me."
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