Rugby union in Zambia
Encyclopedia
Rugby union
in Zambia
is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 73rd by the IRB
and have 3,650 registered plays and 3 formally organised clubs. (There are a number of local/informal clubs as well)
, during which the highlight of the season, the Lusaka Mosi International Sevens takes place, and the finale, the knock out cup competition.
Although fifteens (XVs) rugby in Zambia is played at a basic level compared to the major rugby playing nations, sevens rugby has become a strong point. The Zambian national team
has in the past beaten Italy
and Canada
and came within 30 seconds of upsetting Australia
, in the end narrowly losing 11-12. Zambia has appeared on the international stage, both at the George 7s and the Dubai 7s and has over the last seven years built its own highly respected 7s tournament in the form of the Lusaka Mosi International Sevens. The fact that past winners include the Springbok under-23s and the British Army show the calibre of the entrants and the fact that Zambia has beaten a number of South African Super 14 teams who have participated, shows the calibre of Zambian Sevens rugby.
Zambia also competes in the Africa Cup
.
The Roan Antelope Club in Luanshya
formerly held the record for highest goal posts in the world, and were recognised by the Guinness Book of Records - they were 110 ft, 6 inches high.
there are three active rugby clubs. Lusaka Rugby Club, Green Buffaloes (the army team) and Red Arrows (the air force team) all play within Lusaka Showgrounds (see map on the Lusaka Rugby Club page) and both Lusaka Rugby Club and Red Arrows have an active club house with a number of facilities available for members and signed-in guests.
On the Great North Road between Lusaka and the Copperbelt is the town of Kabwe
, home of Green Eagles Rugby Club.
In the Copperbelt, rugby is most popular, near or surpassing football. Towns all have their own rugby teams with a varying degree of facilities available at each club. Diggers Rugby Club in Kitwe
has over the past few years been the most successful of the Copperbelt clubs and is the most active in terms of the number of players and of social activities happening at the club. Nchanga Rugby Club are in Chingola
, Roan Rugby Club are in Luanshya
, Konkola Rugby Club is in Chilalabombwe and Mufulira
, Ndola
and Chibuluma each have their own rugby club.
Most clubs start training in the middle of January ready for the season to begin in March. League matches are played up until the start of June when a break is taken to allow concentration on sevens
events. During the months break there are a number of local 7s events including the Rhino Sevens in Ndola and the Mosi Sevens in Lusaka.
The league continues again in July and generally runs through to October when the knock out cup competition takes place.
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...
in Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
is a minor but growing sport. They are currently ranked 73rd by the IRB
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...
and have 3,650 registered plays and 3 formally organised clubs. (There are a number of local/informal clubs as well)
Governing body
The governing body is the Zambia Rugby Football Union, which was founded in 1965, and affiliated to the IRFB in 1995.History
Not unlike other neighbouring African countries, Zambian rugby has been a legacy of British colonialism. Traditionally rugby in Zambia was seen as an expatriate sport, however, over the last 20 years it has become a truly Zambian sport with the majority of its players coming up through the schools and local club system. Zambia has an active league that has recently been amended to consist of a Super 8 format with a second league comprising smaller clubs and second teams from the Super 8. The season runs from March to October and consists of a period of time for league matches, a break for sevens rugbyRugby 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...
, during which the highlight of the season, the Lusaka Mosi International Sevens takes place, and the finale, the knock out cup competition.
Although fifteens (XVs) rugby in Zambia is played at a basic level compared to the major rugby playing nations, sevens rugby has become a strong point. The Zambian national team
Zambia national rugby union team
Zambia national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side representing Zambia. They first played in 1975 and now compete on an annual basis in the Africa Cup. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup....
has in the past beaten Italy
Italy national rugby union team
The Italy national rugby union team represent the nation of Italy in the sport of rugby union. The team is also known as the Azzurri . Italy have been playing international rugby since the late 1920s, and since 2000 compete annually in the Six Nations Championship with England, France, Ireland,...
and Canada
Canada national rugby union team
The Canada national rugby union team represents Canada in international rugby union. They are governed by Rugby Canada, and play in red and black. Canada is classified by the International Rugby Board as a tier two rugby nation. There are ten tier one nations, and seven tier two nations, the...
and came within 30 seconds of upsetting Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...
, in the end narrowly losing 11-12. Zambia has appeared on the international stage, both at the George 7s and the Dubai 7s and has over the last seven years built its own highly respected 7s tournament in the form of the Lusaka Mosi International Sevens. The fact that past winners include the Springbok under-23s and the British Army show the calibre of the entrants and the fact that Zambia has beaten a number of South African Super 14 teams who have participated, shows the calibre of Zambian Sevens rugby.
Zambia also competes in the Africa Cup
Africa Cup
The Africa Cup is an annual rugby union tournament involving African nations, organised by the Confederation of African Rugby . The tournament was first held in 2000, and has since been contested on an annual basis...
.
The Roan Antelope Club in Luanshya
Luanshya
Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579 .Luanshya was founded in the early part of the 20th century after a prospector/explorer, William Collier, shot and killed a Roan Antelope on the banks of the Luanshya River, discovering a copper...
formerly held the record for highest goal posts in the world, and were recognised by the Guinness Book of Records - they were 110 ft, 6 inches high.
Club Competition
In LusakaLusaka
Lusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
there are three active rugby clubs. Lusaka Rugby Club, Green Buffaloes (the army team) and Red Arrows (the air force team) all play within Lusaka Showgrounds (see map on the Lusaka Rugby Club page) and both Lusaka Rugby Club and Red Arrows have an active club house with a number of facilities available for members and signed-in guests.
On the Great North Road between Lusaka and the Copperbelt is the town of Kabwe
Kabwe
Kabwe is the capital of the Zambian Central Province with a population estimated at 210,000. Formerly named Broken Hill, it was founded when the Broken Hill lead and zinc deposits were discovered in 1902. Kabwe also has a claim to being the birthplace of Zambian politics...
, home of Green Eagles Rugby Club.
In the Copperbelt, rugby is most popular, near or surpassing football. Towns all have their own rugby teams with a varying degree of facilities available at each club. Diggers Rugby Club in Kitwe
Kitwe
Kitwe is the second largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. With a population of 547,700 Kitwe is one of the most developed commercial and industrial areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka...
has over the past few years been the most successful of the Copperbelt clubs and is the most active in terms of the number of players and of social activities happening at the club. Nchanga Rugby Club are in Chingola
Chingola
Chingola is a city in Zambia's Copperbelt Province, the country's copper-mining region, with a population of 157,340 . It is the home of Nchanga Copper Mine, a deep-shaft high-grade content copper mining operation, which subsequently led to the development of two open pit operations, Chingola...
, Roan Rugby Club are in Luanshya
Luanshya
Luanshya is a town in Zambia, in the Copperbelt Province near Ndola. It has a population of 117,579 .Luanshya was founded in the early part of the 20th century after a prospector/explorer, William Collier, shot and killed a Roan Antelope on the banks of the Luanshya River, discovering a copper...
, Konkola Rugby Club is in Chilalabombwe and Mufulira
Mufulira
Mufulira is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. It grew up in the 1930s around the site of the Mufulira Copper Mine on its north-western edge...
, Ndola
Ndola
Ndola is the third largest city in Zambia, with a population of 495,000 . It is the industrial, commercial, on the Copperbelt, Zambia's copper-mining region, and capital of Copperbelt Province. It is also the commercial capital city of Zambia and has one of the three international airports, others...
and Chibuluma each have their own rugby club.
Most clubs start training in the middle of January ready for the season to begin in March. League matches are played up until the start of June when a break is taken to allow concentration on 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...
events. During the months break there are a number of local 7s events including the Rhino Sevens in Ndola and the Mosi Sevens in Lusaka.
The league continues again in July and generally runs through to October when the knock out cup competition takes place.
Miscellaneous
- In the 1990s, Ian KirkpatrickIan KirkpatrickIan Andrew Kirkpatrick is a former New Zealand rugby union player, who was captain of the All Blacks.Kirkpatrick began his first-class career in 1966 at the age of 20 playing for Poverty Bay. One year later in he moved to Canterbury and established himself in the local provincial team...
, late of the All Blacks helped develop the game. - Corné KrigeCorné KrigeCornelius Petrus Johannes "Corné" Krige was a South African rugby union footballer, now retired, who played flanker for Western Province in the Currie Cup, the Stormers in Super Rugby and captained the South African national side, the Springboks.-Career:Corne Krige was Zambian-born and his parents...
and George GreganGeorge GreganGeorge Musarurwa Gregan AM is an Australian rugby union halfback who has made more appearances for his national team than any other player in the sport's history....
, who respectively captained the and teams in both the 20022002 Tri Nations SeriesThe 2002 Tri Nations Series was contested from 13 July to 17 August between the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa national rugby union teams. The All Blacks won the tournament.-Table:-Results:...
and 20032002 Tri Nations SeriesThe 2002 Tri Nations Series was contested from 13 July to 17 August between the Australia, New Zealand and South Africa national rugby union teams. The All Blacks won the tournament.-Table:-Results:...
Tri Nations Series, were coincidentally born in the same hospital in ZambiaZambiaZambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
. Krige's parents still live in Zambia. - Dafydd JamesDafydd JamesDafydd Rhys James is a former Welsh international rugby union footballer who plays on the wing or at centre. He toured with the British and Irish Lions in 2001. He has earned 45 caps for Wales and three for the British & Irish Lions...
of and the 2001 British and Irish LionsBritish and Irish LionsThe British and Irish Lions is a rugby union team made up of players from England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales...
was born in MufuliraMufuliraMufulira is a town in the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. It grew up in the 1930s around the site of the Mufulira Copper Mine on its north-western edge...
.