India Sevens pin hopes on new egg diet
While India performed well enough to finish third in the HSBC Asian 5 Nations Division II this year, the team's South African coaching staff have had to prescribe radical dietary measures in a bid to help the team compete on a global scale.
A recent 44-3 victory against Pakistan in the 15-a-side game boosted the team's morale, but coaches Norman Laker and Hendre Marnitz are now asking their players to eat up to 15 eggs a day in order to pack on the weight necessary to compete at full international level.
India hosts next year's Commonwealth Games in Delhi and, with Sevens rugby a key element in the multisport event, the hosts face the daunting prospect of lining up against the world's best sides.
"The guys are too light and to go and compete in the Commonwealth Games they will be 15 to 20 kilograms lighter than the opposition," Laker told Total Rugby Radio.
"We've been struggling quite a lot to get any form of supplements from the Sports Authority of India and, because we have a weight problem with our guys, we told them that they need to eat as many eggs as they can, every single day.
"It's been working quite well, particularly for the guys who were 62-65kg. Obviously some days you can't eat as many because you don't feel like it, but we want to try and get them all to eat at least 12 eggs a day because in Indian food you don't tend to get very big portions of meat, just a little chicken for protein, which is not enough.
"We've been doing three or more training sessions every day and top players doing that in South Africa for example might eat five to six meals a day - our boys only get three."
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Last year, Laker and Marnitz coached Sri Lanka for four months and were successful in 'beefing up' players who were also naturally light.
The difference was evident at this year's Hong Kong Sevens, where the Sri Lankans were a far more physical proposition than ever before. Although they lost all four of their matches, they were not completely over-run by New Zealand and Australia in a tough pool and gave both Zimbabwe and Japan tough games.
Indian Rugby Football Union chiefs will now be hoping that the duo can have a similar effect on their own rugby scene, but in order to make a real difference they also need the players to play more competitive Sevens.
As has been proved by the likes of Kenya, Portugal, Tunisia and USA on the World Series, it is only by lining up regularly against the best that teams start to genuinely compete. With that in mind, Laker has also planned a busy schedule in the lead-up to the Commonwealth Games.
"We've only been in India for three months and the talent is definitely there but they do need a lot of rugby-orientated skills," he added.
"They haven't been coached the last few years and there are some boys who have only been playing rugby for two or three years, so they have a lot to learn.
"I think they will be able to put up a good fight against a lot of the sides (in the Commonwealth Games), I wouldn't say they'd be able to beat them, but hopefully they can put up a good fight."
Listen to Laker on this week's Total Rugby Radio show from 17:00 today, on this website, or on radio stations around the world >>
