It started with a text and turned into a trip halfway around the world.
Liam Poulton – a 2021 Esquimalt High grad – is suiting up for the Bengaluru Bravehearts in the inaugural Rugby Premier League (RPL) campaign, a brand-new professional sevens league lighting up India’s sports scene.
“I threw my name in the hat, and next thing you know, I was a member of the Bengaluru Bravehearts,” Poulton said. “It all happened so quick.”
The month-long league, which officially kicked off June 15 in Mumbai, brings together six franchises made up of five Indian players, five internationals, and three so-called “bridge” players from countries like Canada, Hong Kong, Germany and Uganda.
Poulton falls into that last category, one of seven Canadians competing in the league and the only one on his team.
The setup was fast and furious – a two-week training camp, then two weeks of competition. Games run nightly at Mumbai’s Andheri Sports Complex – two per night on weekdays, and three-game slates on weekends.
“Starting tomorrow (June 19), we’ve got five days in a row of games,” he said. “So it’s going to take a big toll on us.”
The Bravehearts have had a solid start to the tournament, notching a win, a draw and a loss through their opening three matches – enough to land third in the standings halfway through the round-robin.
The top four teams advance to the semis ahead of the final on June 29, with a consolation match for third place.
The atmosphere? Electric.
“We had an opening ceremony three days ago, and it was electric too, ’cause it was a Sunday night – all six teams were playing and the stadium sold out,” Poulton said. “There were kids anywhere between six to 19, families, adults coming to watch – flags, banners. People were bringing drums. There’s a league anthem that the commissioner made. It’s an electric atmosphere.”
While rugby isn’t traditionally seen as a marquee sport in India, the league has quickly made waves.
“There’s so much media with it – Instagram pages for the league, team pages, fan pages. The tournament started trending around India and internationally as well,” he said. “It’s nothing that I wouldn’t have expected, but it’s still awesome to see.”
It’s not just the buzz that’s different – the level of play has pushed Poulton in new ways.
“It’s a massive jump from what I’m used to back home,” he said. “The skill is very fast. It’s a much faster-paced game than back home. There’s international guys that have been playing for a huge amount of time.”
And in sevens, where rosters are tight and games are short, versatility is everything.
“This tournament, I’m playing a little bit of everything,” he said. “I’m in the centre, on the wing, playing in the forwards as a hooker and a prop. I’m doing some of the grunt work as a single athlete. But that’s just the game of sevens – you can have a phenomenal game one day and then the next day you get beaten so bad you want to go into hiding.”
Poulton is joined by two other players from the Greater Victoria area – fellow Canadian men’s national team members Rhys James (Mumbai Dreamers) and Kyle Tremblay (Kalinga Black Tigers).
The trio from Victoria are part of seven total Canadians in the league.
Poulton’s journey to India wasn’t originally in the cards.
After a stretch of injuries and illness kept him from cracking the national sevens team lineup, his Pacific Pride coach called with an opportunity to fill a sudden roster gap overseas.
Poulton jumped at it.
Now, beyond just chasing hardware in Mumbai, he’s hoping this helps him climb back into the national team mix – or at the very least, open the door for more pro chances abroad.
“It’s a good view for a lot of international teams – different leagues to kind of scope out some players that are projected athletes,” he said.
After the tournament, Poulton plans to return home.
Whether he rejoins the Pacific Pride program or laces up for the Castaway Wanderers in Oak Bay remains up in the air.
“I love the full-time training environment,” he said, speaking of Pacific Pride. “But I’m open to seeing what’s next. If this league runs again next year, I’d love to come back. Or maybe something new will come out of this.”
Either way, his time in India is already paying off – as a proving ground, a cultural crash course, and a reminder of what makes rugby such a wild ride.
“The people are phenomenal – very welcoming,” he said. “The hospitality is insane. Everybody’s looking out for all the players and all the guests. The traffic, on the other hand… that’s a bit of a culture shock.”
There is also a 12.5-hour time difference between Victoria and Mumbai, meaning a majority of the games take place between 7-9:30 a.m. local time.
You can watch the league's game live, for free on rugbypass.tv/home.
