Kenya among 8 nations set to form African Rugby 7s Championship

Eight African nations have reportedly agreed to form a pioneering continental rugby 7s championship that is related to the prestigious HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series but that will give African teams an opportunity to compete at the top level.

According to the reports, Kenya, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Namibia, Nigeria, Botswana and Madagascar are the teams that have taken the initiative to form the tournament after a meeting with World Rugby President Sir Bill Beaumont in Cape Town, South Africa which played host to the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens.

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In an interview on Ugandan publication New Vision, Uganda Rugby Union President Godwin Kayangwe confirmed the details of the proposed tournament.

“Yes, it is true we are starting this tournament. It is an idea that we got from cape Town after meeting the World Rugby president Sir Bill Beaumont,” Kayangwe is quoted.

According to the president, the tournament is expected to start late this year or early 2023 after a planning meeting.

In the schedule, Uganda are lined to host the first circuit dubbed Great Lakes before Kenya stages the second circuit Safari Sevens in Nairobi. Zimbabwe, Zambia, Nigeria will then host the subsequent legs before the final outing in Accra, Ghana.

With funding always proving to be the biggest stumbling block to realizing the dream of an African championship, Kayangwe noted that participating teams will be required to pay a fee before seeking funding aid from World rugby.

“Every team will be required to pay a participation fee and that has been the key issue discussed in the meeting. We shall later table this idea to World Rugby for full funding,” he said.

“The idea is to give our players enough playing time. When we get to this, participating in tournaments such as World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series will not be tough for African teams like it is now,” he said.

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Kenya Rugby Union president Oduor Gangla also confirmed the developments ongoing about the upcoming competition.

"There are discussions ongoing at the moment," Gangla told Mozzart Sport.