The Punjab Rugby Association is holding the Azadi Rugby Tournament in collaboration with the Pakistan Rugby Union (PRU) and the Punjab Olympic Association (PbOA) from October 1 to 2 at Lahore Rugby Ground.
The participation of Afghanistan team will give the event an international look and all the top teams of the country will show their skills in the event.
“The event was normally arranged on August 14, however due to this year Ramadan the event was pushed forward,” the PRU official said.
“Entrance in the stadium is free in the general stands and we expect a day of excitement with a festive family atmosphere,” he added.
“There will be live DJ and commentary. This year’s Azadi cup is expected to be the biggest one yet as it has an international touch with the Afghan team participating in the tournament,” he added.
The tournament will have two main events the Azadi Rose Petal Rugby 7’s and the Azadi Servis Rugby 15’s Cup. The Azadi Rose Petal 7’s will feature 12 teams including, Afghanistan, Lahore Fresher team, DHA Blues, Army, Police, AIT Reds, UMT, LUMS, BNU, Garrisonions, MCB Greens and Lahore Colts. The Rugby 7s Event will be played in a round robin format with 4 pools, the draws will be taken out on Friday night.
The Azadi Servis Tyres Cup 15s will see two Super League teams Lahore Rams vs. Punjab Warriors. Lahore Rams are the reigning Azadi Cup champions and are the pre-match favorites. Punjab Warriors is a team made up from players from all over the Punjab. The Warriors have been preparing hard with camps all across the Punjab; the team will debut in the Azadi Servis Tyres Cup for the first time.
The Afghan national team will arrive in Lahore on Thursday (today) for some pre-event training. It will be their first international tour.
“This is a big event for the Punjab Rugby Association that an international team is coming in to play the cup,” PRU president Fawzi Kawaja said. “We hope after Afghan team, we got more international teams to follow,” he added.
