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As part of its ongoing effort to bring rugby to the younger generation, the Indonesian Rugby Football Union hosted a touch rugby Sevens tournament on Wednesday in Jakarta.

More than 130 boys and girls from six schools across the capital descended on Kebayoran for the one-day tournament and it was Darunnajah Islamic Boarding School who walked away with the boys title.

“This was a chance to expose as many students as we can to the competitive aspect of rugby,” IRFU rugby development officer Sam Refshauge said.

“For a lot of schools in the tournament, this is their first chance to play the game. Even the other schools who have been playing rugby for a while, they don’t get many opportunities to play in a competitive tournament.”

The roster of teams included SMA 3 Jakarta high school, the only government-run school where rugby has been introduced.

But SMA 3 Jakarta, lost 1-0 to the hosts and 2-0 to eventual winners Darunnajah. Their captain Anggara Raudha’s frustration did not curb his enthusiasm about the tournament however.

“This is the very first tournament for us since we started to practice the game in August last year. I’m so excited,” the 17-year-old said. “I love rugby for its contact. I used to see the game on television played by foreigners, and now I play it for real.”

Labschool took the spoils in the girls tournament and although Rugby Sevens getting recommended for inclusion at the 2016 Olympics will help, the sport has already been on the rise in Indonesia.

“The schools have been playing rugby for about two-and-a-half years,” Refshauge said. “It was a slow start at first, but once word caught on, it’s been exploding.”

Jasmine Oetoro who was on top form for Labschool, joined her school’s rugby team in March 2008 after it was introduced as an extracurricular program. It offered her an escape from the grind of class and homework, though not everyone in her family approved of the idea.

“Mum wanted me to take a traditional dancing class, to be a traditional dancer just like her,” the third-year student said after Labschool’s 4-1 victory against SMA 3. “I wanted to learn something new, and that was rugby.”

“I hope the game can continue to develop in the future,” she added. “I hope it can exceed the popularity of Persija (Jakarta football team) one day, and that rugby team supporters will be able to ride a convoy of buses through the streets, singing their team’s anthem.”

A final decision isn’t made until October for whether Sevens will be included in the Olympics, but if it does get the nod it won’t be included until 2016, giving countries like Indonesia time to put programmes in place.

“Well, the 2016 Olympics is still a long way to go, but of course we want to be there,” added Refshauge. “We’ll need a long-term development program to achieve that.”

Touch sevens is a modified version of rugby that reduces contact and opens up the game for players of both genders and all ages. Teams are comprised of seven players instead of the usual 15, and matches are shorter.