INTERNATIONAL RUGBY TOURNAMENT: African Rugby

CAR Division 2, North
There has been some mystery as to which teams would turn up to this tournament. Only yesterday was it revealed that Gabon would replace Congo Brazzaville to make up the eight nations participating. We only know for sure the first round, being played over Saturday and Sunday.

Leading up to this tournament Chad were involved in warm-up games. On July 17 Chad 3, defeated French Servicemen 0, in Chad. Prior to that Chad defeated a Cameroun XV 21-5. http://www.fira-aer-rugby.com/forum2007/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=3660&start=165 Chad has not played a test match since 2008.

The venue: Stadium Quezzin, Bamako

Teams Participating
Niger, Mali, Ghana, Burkino Faso, Togo, Benin, Chad, Gabon

Round One
Saturday 23 July
Niger v Gabon in Bamako (CAR Africa Cup Division 2, North)

 

Gabon is making, as far as I am aware, their test debut. They have played games prior to this but I have seen them labelled as ‘Gabon Selection’.

GWC Rugby Rankings do not apply.

Prediction: Niger by 20 points

Mali v Chad in Bamako (CAR Africa Cup Division 2, North)

 
Previous Encounters
29.06.2008 Chad 10-0 in Accra(CAR Dev.Trophy, North, playoff 5th-6th)
18.06.2007 Mali 32-0 in Ouagadougou (CAR Castel Beer Trophy, North, Grp A)
26.03.2006 Mali 12-5 in Niamey (CAR Castel Beer Trophy, North, Grp A)

GWC Rugby Rankings do not apply as Chad has not played a test match since 2008.

Prediction: Mali by 14 points

 

Sunday 24 July-Previewed Tomorrow
Ghana v Benin in Bamako (CAR Africa Cup Division 2, North)
Burkino Faso v Togo in Bamako (CAR Africa Cup Division 2, North)

RUGBY IN DISTANT PADDOCKS: Congo Kinshasa

The Cameroun Rugby Federation has been assisting with technical development of the game in Central Africa through Pierre Nomo. http://www.fecarugby.org/actualites/3/128.html The link gives the full article as it appears on Cameroun rugby web site. What astonished me was the spread of the game in the Central African republic.

"We must remember that the Congolese Federation of Rugby has 25 years of age. The rugby was there primarily supported by mining companies and when they went bankrupt rugby has somewhat disappeared. And civil war that has gripped the country for several years has not helped matters.
Rugby Congolese being reborn from the ashes mainly north of the country where it was 24 clubs in the city of Kinshasa, in the south there are 1-2 clubs in town including Kolwezi, Lubumbashi, which each carry two LIKASHI clubs.
There are 2 clubs in the East in Maniema Province, as well as Muanda in the province of Bas-Congo.
A total of nearly 45 clubs throughout the country and trying to work somehow, despite the lack of funds.
On the technical level of play is average and there is plenty to do. The first generation is aging and the Federation is working to form the new, younger in order to align it with modern techniques of the game."

45 clubs!! Amazing. Sadly the Congo Republic were due to play in Kigali, Rwanda, along with the host nation and Burundi, but did not turn up. It would have been the Congo's international rugby debut.

Training session in Kinshasa. Image thanks to http://www.fecarugby.org/actualites/3/128.html

The Cameroun is also working, according to the article, on the game in neighbouring Gabon, with the aim of forming a federation there, and for Gabon to eventually being admitted to CAR