Popularity of rugby is all set to receive another boost in Orissa with the staging of the All-India Division-II Callaghan Cup 15-a-side Tournament at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar from October 24 to 29. Altogether 12 teams from across the country will vie for the winners’ trophy, officials of Orissa Rugby Football Association (ORFA) announced at a media conference today. Teams have been divided into two pools with Jungle Crows, Bombay Sappers, Pune, Jammu & Kashmir, Orissa, Kolkata Police placed in Pool-A and Delhi Hurricanes, Delhi Bulls, Tamil Nadu Police, Magicians (Mumbai), Sargents (Kolkata) and Chennai Irish included in Pool-B. ``Top three finishers of the league-cum-knockout tournament will be promoted to next year’s All-India Division-I tournament to be held at Kolkata,’’ Indian Rugby Football Union’s Regional Development Manager Nandu Chandavarkar said. This is the second time that ORFA will play host to Callaghan Cup. It was earlier conducted at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack in 2005. A budget of Rs 6.50 lakhs has been estimated for the smooth conduct of Callaghan Cup. ORFA president Priyadarshi Mishra and general secretary U K Mohanty expressed hope that the State Government and corporate houses would come forward to sponsor the tournament. International Rugby Board’s Development Officer Tony McLuskie, who was present at the media conference, expressed his happiness about the growth of the sport in India. ``India has done well by climbing up to 72nd position, among 140-odd countries in the world rankings. This is no ordinary achievement,’’ he claimed. McLuskie also agreed that the rise in the popularity of rugby in developing countries like India has paved the way for its acceptance in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. PHOTO: (Left to right) ORFA general secretary U K Mohanty, president Priyadarshi Mishra, IRFU development manager Nandu Chandavakar and IRB development officer Tony McLuskie at a media conference in Bhubaneswar on Oct 22, 2009.