Rugby union in Kenya
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
is a popular sport in Kenya
, in particular due to the success of the Kenyan Sevens Team
in the rugby sevens
format, and tournaments such as the Safari Sevens
, which has been growing yearly, and now includes numerous international teams.
.
The Rugby Football Union of Kenya (RFU-K) was formed in 1923. RFU-K was then incorporated into the Rugby Football Union of East Africa
(RFUEA) in 1956. Kenya Rugby Football Union was formed in 1970 to govern the game in Kenya .
At the 2008 Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year
awards KRFU won the federation of the year category .
The first recorded game in Kenya took place in 1909, when a team composed of predominantly British "Officials" took on mainly Afrikaaner "Settlers" in Eldoret
.
The Rugby Football Union of Kenya (RFU-K) was formed in 1923, the same year when Nairobi District team split to form Harlequins RFC (which is not the current club Kenya Harlequins
which was formed in 1952) and Nondescripts RFC
. Impala RFC
, another traditional club was founded in the 1930s. For a number of years, the Nondescripts and the Harlequins were two of the best sides in the country and dominated Kenyan rugby.
When the British Isles
went to South Africa
for their 1955 tour
and their 1962 tour
, they played East Africa sides in Nairobi
, on the return leg of their journey. The Lions won both of these games, 39-12 and 50-0 respectively.
The East Africa
team played some of the best sides in the world, including the British Lions
in 1955, South Africa
in 1961, and Wales
in 1964.
The political struggle in Kenya took a heavy toll on rugby. Not only had the white population failed to promote the game properly amongst the black African and Asian population in Kenya, but when employment restrictions were introduced by the newly independent Kenyan state, they ensured that a number of the white British and South Africans who had been the mainstay of the game previously left the country.
The large distances involved would frequently cause big communication problems for Kenyan teams. For example, in 1974, when Nairobi
was due to play Mombasa
, the Mombasa team flew to Nairobi, while the Nairobi team drove to Mombasa. It was a 950 mile round trip, meaning that the two teams covered nearly 2,000 miles in a game that didn't happen.
Until mid-1970s the sport in Kenya was mainly played by expatriates. This changed once new "black" clubs, Mean Machine RFC
and Mwamba RFC
were formed. Today, rugby in Kenya is played almost exclusively by indigenous players. Rugby in Kenya is mostly played in Nairobi
, only a handful of teams come from outside the capital.
The struggle to make Kenyan rugby truly multiracial, and to make it popular was tackled frantically by the KRFU in the post-independence period, with success only coming under its president George Kariuki in the 1980s and 1990s. The former Gloucester
player Dave Protherough helped out the KRFU, before his death in the mid 1990s, and helped the game to thrive once more.
Kenya is a founder member of the Confederation of African Rugby
(CAR), which was launched officially in January 1986, in Tunis
. Rugby officials from Morocco
, Senegal
, Ivory Coast
, Tanzania
, the Seychelles
and Madagascar
also attended.
Kenya plays host to the annual Bamburi Rugby Super Series
which teams from other East African countries also attend. In 2009
, it also hosted the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy
, the second tier of the under-20 world championship structure established in 2008 by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board
(IRB).
Safari Sevens
is an international Rugby sevens
tournament played annually in Nairobi and is the most popular rugby competition in Kenya.
Kenya dominated the local 'international' rugby scene but when combined with Tanzania and Uganda they formed the East Africa rugby union team. This consisted mostly of white settlers from Kenya, and the games tended to be hosted in Nairobi. Nicknamed The Tuskers, a name which was taken from a local beer, the first overseas touring East Africa XV played in the Copperbelt of what was then Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, in September 1954 when they won six out of seven matches.
The British Isles
played games against an East African side
, on their 1955 tour
, and 1962 tour
s (losing 50-0).
The national team
played its first international in 1955, and is yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup
. However, the country's sevens team has had far more international success.
Kenya is ranked 39th in the world
by the IRB as of 6 April 2009.
are currently one of the 12 "core teams" in the IRB Sevens World Series
, advancing at least to the semi-finals of three events in the 2008–09 season, and also reached the semi-finals of the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
.
A major part of competition at the junior level is the St Mary's Blackrock Festival which has been used to scout for Kenya's top players for the last 26 years. Biko Adema, a current Kenya sevens
player, was once the most valuable player in the tournament.
is the highest level league in Kenya and is yet to turn professional. Since the early 1960s The Eric Shirley Shield
has been competed by club 2nd XV's and smaller clubs. The national cup competition, Enterprise Cup
, has been played almost uninterrupted since 1930 (with the exception of the war years and 1987 during the All African Games). In addition there is the National Sevens Circuit and other competitions such as the Great Rift 10-A-Side rugby tournament which many clubs take part in.
The East African Bamburi Rugby Super Series
also takes place in Kenya. With a franchised system, players from different clubs join together producing a higher quality of rugby.
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
is a popular sport in Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, in particular due to the success of the Kenyan Sevens Team
Kenya national rugby union team (sevens)
The Kenya national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. They are currently one of the 12 "core teams" of the IRB Sevens, with a guaranteed place in all eight events each season....
in the rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
format, and tournaments such as the Safari Sevens
Safari Sevens
The Safari Sevens, known as the Safaricom Sevens after main sponsors Safaricom is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in Kenya. The tournament is run by the Kenya Rugby Football Union...
, which has been growing yearly, and now includes numerous international teams.
Governing body
The sport is governed by the Kenya Rugby Football UnionKenya Rugby Football Union
Kenya Rugby Football Union is the governing body of Rugby Union in Kenya. It organises Kenyan national teams and various competitions. It is a member of the International Rugby Board....
.
The Rugby Football Union of Kenya (RFU-K) was formed in 1923. RFU-K was then incorporated into the Rugby Football Union of East Africa
Rugby Football Union of East Africa
The Rugby Football Union of East Africa is an umbrella union for the Kenya Rugby Football Union, Tanzania Rugby Football Union and Uganda Rugby Football Union. It owes its existence to the fact that, prior to independence, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were either a protectorate or mandate of the...
(RFUEA) in 1956. Kenya Rugby Football Union was formed in 1970 to govern the game in Kenya .
At the 2008 Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year
Kenyan Sports Personality of the Year
Kenyan Sport Personality of the Year Awards, also known as SOYA Awards, are annual national awards given for sports personalities and organisations in Kenya. The awards were initiated in 2004 by Paul Tergat. The awards for each year are held at the beginning of the next year Kenyan Sport...
awards KRFU won the federation of the year category .
History
Rugby has a long history in Kenya.The first recorded game in Kenya took place in 1909, when a team composed of predominantly British "Officials" took on mainly Afrikaaner "Settlers" in Eldoret
Eldoret
Eldoret is a town in western Kenya and the administrative centre of Uasin Gishu District of Rift Valley Province. Lying south of the Cherangani Hills, the local elevation varies from about 2100 metres above sea level at the airport to more than 2700 metres in nearby areas...
.
The Rugby Football Union of Kenya (RFU-K) was formed in 1923, the same year when Nairobi District team split to form Harlequins RFC (which is not the current club Kenya Harlequins
Kenya Harlequins
The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...
which was formed in 1952) and Nondescripts RFC
Nondescripts RFC
Nondescripts Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nairobi. The club is the oldest in Kenya, and was founded in 1923 after the splitting of the Nairobi rugby club. The club 1st XV compete in the Kenya Cup, while the 2nd XV compete in the Eric Shirley Shield...
. Impala RFC
Impala RFC
Impala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...
, another traditional club was founded in the 1930s. For a number of years, the Nondescripts and the Harlequins were two of the best sides in the country and dominated Kenyan rugby.
When the British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
went to South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
for their 1955 tour
1955 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1955 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. The Lions drew the test series against , each team winning two of the four matches. They won the first test by a single point and the third by three points and lost the second and fourth matches by wider margins...
and their 1962 tour
1962 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1962 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. Overall the tourists played twenty-five matches, winning sixteen, losing five and drawing four....
, they played East Africa sides in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, on the return leg of their journey. The Lions won both of these games, 39-12 and 50-0 respectively.
The East Africa
East Africa rugby union team
Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world...
team played some of the best sides in the world, including the British Lions
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
in 1955, South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...
in 1961, and Wales
Wales national rugby union team
The Wales national rugby union team represent Wales in international rugby union tournaments. They compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland, Italy and Scotland. Wales have won the Six Nations and its predecessors 24 times outright, second only to England with...
in 1964.
The political struggle in Kenya took a heavy toll on rugby. Not only had the white population failed to promote the game properly amongst the black African and Asian population in Kenya, but when employment restrictions were introduced by the newly independent Kenyan state, they ensured that a number of the white British and South Africans who had been the mainstay of the game previously left the country.
The large distances involved would frequently cause big communication problems for Kenyan teams. For example, in 1974, when Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
was due to play Mombasa
Mombasa
Mombasa is the second-largest city in Kenya. Lying next to the Indian Ocean, it has a major port and an international airport. The city also serves as the centre of the coastal tourism industry....
, the Mombasa team flew to Nairobi, while the Nairobi team drove to Mombasa. It was a 950 mile round trip, meaning that the two teams covered nearly 2,000 miles in a game that didn't happen.
Until mid-1970s the sport in Kenya was mainly played by expatriates. This changed once new "black" clubs, Mean Machine RFC
Mean Machine RFC
Mean Machine RFC is a Rugby union club based in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the representative side of the University of Nairobi and was founded in 1977 during the time when rugby union in Kenya was predominantly played by white settlers and expats. In their inaugural year they won the Kenya Cup...
and Mwamba RFC
Mwamba RFC
Mwamba Rugby Football Club, also known as Mwamba RFC, is a Kenyan rugby union club based in Nairobi.The club was founded in 1977 with the aim of promoting rugby among indigenous Kenyans when the game was still dominated by the whites in Kenya. The club played at the Nairobi Railway Club next to...
were formed. Today, rugby in Kenya is played almost exclusively by indigenous players. Rugby in Kenya is mostly played in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, only a handful of teams come from outside the capital.
The struggle to make Kenyan rugby truly multiracial, and to make it popular was tackled frantically by the KRFU in the post-independence period, with success only coming under its president George Kariuki in the 1980s and 1990s. The former Gloucester
Gloucester RFC
Gloucester Rugby are a professional English rugby union club situated in the west country city of Gloucester. The club plays in the domestic Aviva Premiership...
player Dave Protherough helped out the KRFU, before his death in the mid 1990s, and helped the game to thrive once more.
Kenya is a founder member of the Confederation of African Rugby
Confederation of African Rugby
The Confederation of African Rugby is governing body for rugby union within Africa. The Confederation currently has 37 member nations and is responsible for running various rugby tournaments within Africa, especially the Africa Cup, and CAR Super 16.-History:The Confederation was officially...
(CAR), which was launched officially in January 1986, in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
. Rugby officials from Morocco
Rugby union in Morocco
Rugby union in Morocco is a significant, and popular, sport.-Governing body:The Royal Moroccan Rugby Federation was formed in 1916, joined the IRFB in 1988.-History:...
, Senegal
Rugby union in Senegal
Rugby union in Senegal is a moderately popular sport. They are currently ranked 55th by the IRB.-History:Senegal is a founder member of the Confederation of African Rugby , which was launched officially in January 1986, in Tunis, Tunisia...
, Ivory Coast
Rugby union in Côte d'Ivoire
Rugby union in Côte d'Ivoire, also known as "the Ivory Coast", is essentially amateur, with some degree of semi-professionalization in its top flight league and the national rugby union team....
, Tanzania
Rugby union in Tanzania
-Governing body:The governing body is the Tanzania Rugby Union, which is an associate member of the IRB.Originally the Tanzanian Rugby Football Union was incorporated into the Rugby Football Union of East Africa in 1956...
, the Seychelles
Rugby union in the Seychelles
-Governing body:The governing body is a member of the Confederation of African Rugby but not of the International Rugby Board.-History:Rugby was first introduced to the Seychelles when it was a British colony...
and Madagascar
Rugby union in Madagascar
Rugby union in Madagascar is a popular team sport. Madagascar is ranked 43rd worldwide by the International Rugby Board , and boasts over 22,540 registered players and more than 410 rugby clubs...
also attended.
Kenya plays host to the annual Bamburi Rugby Super Series
Bamburi Rugby Super Series
The Bamburi Super Series is an East African Rugby union competition with eight teams in total, five teams from Kenya two from Uganda and one from Tanzania . It is closely based on the Super 14 competition in the southern hemisphere...
which teams from other East African countries also attend. In 2009
2009 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy
The 2009 IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy is the second edition of the second-tier world championship for Under 20 national teams. The event is organised by rugby's governing body, the International Rugby Board . This competition, which is contested by eight men's junior national teams, was held in...
, it also hosted the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy
IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy
The IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy is a second tier international rugby union competition. The event is organised by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board , and is contested by 8 men's junior national teams, with an under-20 age requirement. The inaugural tournament was held in...
, the second tier of the under-20 world championship structure established in 2008 by the sport's governing body, the International Rugby Board
International Rugby Board
The International Rugby Board is the governing body for the sport of rugby union. It was founded in 1886 as the International Rugby Football Board by the unions of Scotland, Wales and Ireland. England refused to join until 1890. The International Rugby Football Board changed its name to the...
(IRB).
Safari Sevens
Safari Sevens
The Safari Sevens, known as the Safaricom Sevens after main sponsors Safaricom is an annual rugby sevens tournament held in Kenya. The tournament is run by the Kenya Rugby Football Union...
is an international Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...
tournament played annually in Nairobi and is the most popular rugby competition in Kenya.
National team
The British Isles
British and Irish Lions
The British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
played games against an East African side
East Africa rugby union team
Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world...
, on their 1955 tour
1955 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1955 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. The Lions drew the test series against , each team winning two of the four matches. They won the first test by a single point and the third by three points and lost the second and fourth matches by wider margins...
, and 1962 tour
1962 British Lions tour to South Africa
In 1962 the British Lions rugby union team toured Southern and Eastern Africa. Overall the tourists played twenty-five matches, winning sixteen, losing five and drawing four....
s (losing 50-0).
The national team
Kenya national rugby union team
The Kenya national rugby union team is the Kenyan national team in Rugby. it is controlled by the Kenya Rugby Football Union.The team participates Confederation of African Rugby tournaments, but has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup....
played its first international in 1955, and is yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....
. However, the country's sevens team has had far more international success.
Kenya is ranked 39th in the world
IRB World Rankings
The IRB World Rankings is a ranking system for men's national teams in rugby union, managed by the International Rugby Board , the sport's governing body. The teams of the IRB's member nations are ranked based on their game results, with the most successful teams being ranked highest...
by the IRB as of 6 April 2009.
Sevens team
The national sevens teamKenya national rugby union team (sevens)
The Kenya national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. They are currently one of the 12 "core teams" of the IRB Sevens, with a guaranteed place in all eight events each season....
are currently one of the 12 "core teams" in the IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...
, advancing at least to the semi-finals of three events in the 2008–09 season, and also reached the semi-finals of the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup was the fifth edition of the Rugby sevens world cup. The International Rugby Board selected Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as the host venue for the tournament ahead of bids from four other countries. The format included nine direct qualifiers and a further...
.
Domestic structure
The popularity of Kenyan rugby has greatly increased over the last few years and the country now has over 40 clubs, 40,000 players of which nearly 30,000 are teenagers and 3000 are women.School rugby
The KRFU also oversees Kenyan schools rugby, including the Prescott Cup for the most elite teams, and the Damu Pevu shield for the second level of teams (and second XV). In 1990, Rugby 15s was admitted as formal sport in secondary schools around the country and in 2008 it was admitted as a primary school sport. Rugby Sevens was admitted as a formal sport in secondary schools in 2004.A major part of competition at the junior level is the St Mary's Blackrock Festival which has been used to scout for Kenya's top players for the last 26 years. Biko Adema, a current Kenya sevens
Kenya national rugby union team (sevens)
The Kenya national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. They are currently one of the 12 "core teams" of the IRB Sevens, with a guaranteed place in all eight events each season....
player, was once the most valuable player in the tournament.
Club rugby
The Kenya CupKenya Cup
Kenya Cup is the premier rugby union competition in Kenya. It is organised by the Kenya Rugby Football Union. Kenya cup has currently nine teams and is played in a league format...
is the highest level league in Kenya and is yet to turn professional. Since the early 1960s The Eric Shirley Shield
Eric Shirley Shield
The Eric Shirley Shield is a second tier domestic Rugby union league in Kenya. In recent years the competition has been split into two pools of eight, due to the increase in the number of teams entered....
has been competed by club 2nd XV's and smaller clubs. The national cup competition, Enterprise Cup
Enterprise Cup
The Enterprise Cup is an annual Rugby union competition in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, though the competition frequently has the appearance of being an all-Kenyan affair as the majority of East African rugby clubs are based in this one country and frequently clubs in Tanzania and Uganda are unable...
, has been played almost uninterrupted since 1930 (with the exception of the war years and 1987 during the All African Games). In addition there is the National Sevens Circuit and other competitions such as the Great Rift 10-A-Side rugby tournament which many clubs take part in.
The East African Bamburi Rugby Super Series
Bamburi Rugby Super Series
The Bamburi Super Series is an East African Rugby union competition with eight teams in total, five teams from Kenya two from Uganda and one from Tanzania . It is closely based on the Super 14 competition in the southern hemisphere...
also takes place in Kenya. With a franchised system, players from different clubs join together producing a higher quality of rugby.
Kenya Cup teams 2008
- Impala RFCImpala RFCImpala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...
- Kenya Commercial Bank RFCKenya Commercial Bank RFCKenya Commercial Bank Rugby Football Club, is a Rugby union team based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was formed in 1989 after the dispanding of Kenya Breweries RFC when the main sponsor Kenya Breweries, pulled out. That year they joined the Kenya Cup. Their first match was against Impala RFC whom they beat...
- Kenya HarlequinsKenya HarlequinsThe Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...
- Mean Machine RFCMean Machine RFCMean Machine RFC is a Rugby union club based in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the representative side of the University of Nairobi and was founded in 1977 during the time when rugby union in Kenya was predominantly played by white settlers and expats. In their inaugural year they won the Kenya Cup...
- Mombasa Sports ClubMombasa Sports ClubMombasa Sports Club is multi-sport club based in Mombasa, Kenya. It also owns sporting facilities. The club was established in 1896, and it is among the oldest sporting clubs in Kenya.- Cricket :...
- Mwamba RFCMwamba RFCMwamba Rugby Football Club, also known as Mwamba RFC, is a Kenyan rugby union club based in Nairobi.The club was founded in 1977 with the aim of promoting rugby among indigenous Kenyans when the game was still dominated by the whites in Kenya. The club played at the Nairobi Railway Club next to...
- Nakuru RFCNakuru RFCNakuru Rugby Football Club also known as 'Wanyore' is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nakuru. It has played for several years in the Kenya Cup and Eric Shirley Shield leagues...
- Nondescripts RFCNondescripts RFCNondescripts Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nairobi. The club is the oldest in Kenya, and was founded in 1923 after the splitting of the Nairobi rugby club. The club 1st XV compete in the Kenya Cup, while the 2nd XV compete in the Eric Shirley Shield...
- Strathmore University RFC