SportsRugby
New Zealand's Maori under-20 rugby teams begin first India series in Rajgir
Tama Toa and Hine Toa, the men's and women's sides, face India's under-20 squads in Bihar from Friday in a series marking a century of sporting ties.
Key points
- New Zealand's under-20 rugby teams are in India for a series of this kind for the first time.
- The visitors are 24 young Maori players picked from across New Zealand.
- India field 16-player men's and women's under-20 squads at the Rajgir Sports Complex.
Rugby in Bihar takes a step onto a bigger stage from Friday, when New Zealand’s Maori under-20 teams begin a series against India’s men’s and women’s under-20 sides at the Rajgir Sports Complex.
The visitors, Tama Toa in the men’s game and Hine Toa in the women’s, are made up of 24 young Maori players chosen from across New Zealand. According to the organisers, it is the first time New Zealand’s under-20 rugby teams have travelled to India for a series of this kind.
India have named 16-player squads for both the men’s and women’s teams. Alongside the matches, the two sides will train together and take part in cultural exchanges during the visit. The organisers have not set out how many matches will be played.
The series is being billed as a celebration of a century of sporting ties between India and New Zealand, and it lands in a week when the two countries’ senior cricket teams are also meeting in a five-match Twenty20 series in New Zealand.
For Rajgir, it is the latest in a run of rugby events. The complex staged the Senior National Rugby Championships in April this year and hosted the Asia Rugby Emirates Under-20 Championship in August 2025.
For India’s young players, it is a rare chance to test themselves against opposition from one of rugby’s strongest nations.