Pak women to make int’l debut

LAHORE: Pakistan’s women’s rugby team will make their international debut at the Asian Women’s Rugby Sevens in Laos this weekend, determined to succeed despite a lack of funding.

Pakistan’s participation in the tournament, which includes sides from India, South Korea, Sri Lanka and the Philippines, is a “great honour”, rugby official Syed Moazzam Ali Shah told AFP Thursday.

Coach Shakil Ahmad said he was confident the young team, formed last year, would play among the top four at the tournament. But he called on the Pakistani government to allocate more funds for rugby to enable “us to facilitate all players, including girls”, saying the team relies on handouts from the World Rugby Association.