Bronze Was a Start: Hyderabad Heroes Captain Manuel Moreno Eyeing Gold
15 Jun 2026 9:44 AM IST15 Jun 2026 9:44 AM IST
Spanish rugby star Manuel Moreno returns to lead Hyderabad Heroes in Season 2 of the Rugby Premier League. In DC Conversations, he reflects on balancing medicine, modelling and sport, the lessons of leadership, and why Hyderabad now feels like home
For Manuel Moreno, rugby is only one part of a schedule that also includes modelling assignments and medical school.
The demands of elite sport are often enough to consume an athlete’s life. Yet for Manuel Moreno, rugby is only one part of a schedule that also includes modelling assignments and medical school. Somehow, the Spanish international manages to navigate all three while preparing to captain Hyderabad Heroes once again in the second season of the Rugby Premier League.
As Hyderabad gears up to host the tournament at the Gachibowli Stadium, Moreno returns with both experience and expectations. Having led the franchise to a bronze medal finish in the inaugural season, he now carries the responsibility of taking the team one step further.
Balancing multiple careers is a challenge that would overwhelm most people, but Moreno approaches it with a philosophy rooted in patience. “Well, it's difficult to get it all but I think if you take your life slowly and with calm, you have time for everything,” he says. “You have to think on the way and don't have on your mind every time the achievements.”
That measured outlook has served him well on and off the field. While rugby, fashion and medicine may seem like vastly different worlds, Moreno has no hesitation when asked which has shaped him the most.
“I think by a long way, it's rugby,” he says. “Finally, we get 100 per cent time, not all but too much time playing rugby, learning of this life and meeting a lot of people with a good character and learning from them.”
Those lessons have also influenced his leadership style. Looking back on Hyderabad Heroes’ campaign last season, Moreno says the experience reinforced one of rugby’s most fundamental truths.
“I think it was a really good experience,” he says. “I learned from that that the power of rugby is on the team. It's a team sport and finally you need a big connection with each player.”
That emphasis on unity is perhaps why Moreno’s connection with Hyderabad has grown so naturally. Despite being thousands of kilometres away from home, he speaks warmly about the welcome he has received from the city and its supporters.
“I have to say I am so, so happy to be here again,” he says. “Everyone here in India treats me like one more of his family. So, it's an honour to be here back.”
The affection appears mutual. Moreno emerged as one of the most recognisable faces of the league during its inaugural season and now returns to lead a squad packed with international stars and promising Indian talent. Alongside vice-captain Sumit Kumar Roy and under the guidance of legendary coach DJ Forbes, Hyderabad Heroes are aiming to convert last year's bronze into a title-winning campaign.
For Moreno, earning another opportunity to captain the side is a source of immense pride, particularly because it comes under a coach he deeply admires.
“I have to say it's a great pride to be here again,” he says. “That means we did something well last year. Someone like DJ Forbes calling me again, it means too much to me.”
Forbes, a World Rugby Hall of Famer and one of the sport’s most respected figures, has assembled a squad capable of challenging for the championship. But while expectations continue to rise, Moreno remains focused on the basics that have carried him throughout his career.
When the pressure builds during a close contest, there is little time to think about leadership responsibilities, future medical examinations or life beyond rugby. His attention narrows to the present moment.
“I think it's too difficult to think on a rugby sevens game,” he says. “Everything is too fast. I just try to be on the moment, to take off all that we train too hard every week and try to give my best every day.”
It is a simple philosophy, yet one that has allowed Moreno to juggle multiple ambitions while thriving on rugby’s biggest stages. As Hyderabad Heroes begin another campaign, their captain returns not just with experience, but with unfinished business. And if his words are any indication, the pursuit of gold will be driven not by individual glory, but by the collective strength of the team he believes in so deeply.
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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