Sunday, December 26, 2010

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.

2010-training
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

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