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Ghana looks to convert grassroots rugby into global success

best rugby players 2024

“It is easier to create a legacy that way and also make more money. I am looking at getting agents who can link me to good rugby clubs out there. Through our sponsorship of the World Rugby referees, we’re at the centre of every international rugby match. The elite pool of officials who take charge of the sport’s biggest matches wear Emirates on their shirts, ensuring we are with them at the heart of the action on the pitch and on the touchlines too.

Who is in the England Six Nations squad?

But his performances this year both in the 15s and 7s for his club did not go unnoticed. The biggest difference between the two is the number of players that take the field. The rugby league has a total of 13 players as opposed to 15. Most of the rules of the game are pretty similar, with differences being in the possession plays, rusks and line-out guidelines. When you place a bet on any rugby game online, you have to ensure that you know exactly what you are doing.

  • At home, his club, Heathens enjoyed a historic unbeaten season.
  • Cheslin Kolbe is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for Tokyo Sungoliath in the Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team.
  • “You have made us very proud… all that training has paid off as you finally got crowned the champions of Africa,” he said.
  • South Africa is returning to the Castle Rugby tournament with a mission to end New Zealand’s dominance in the competition.
  • Now, 16 years on, he is basking in the glory of guiding Liverpool to their first league title since 1990.
  • I am looking at getting agents who can link me to good rugby clubs out there.
  • Uganda Rugby 7s captain Michael Wokorach has led the national team to the Africa Cup trophy which earned the national team double tickets to the World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

Who is in the Scotland Six Nations squad?

However, just like any other sportsman, he says, “Sportsmen in Uganda are not yet as highly valued as compared to those in other countries,” which is a challenge. They’ll need to beat 11 others teams for the solitary remaining ticket to Paris in the Olympic Repechage set for June in Monaco, France. Besides the sevens, the highlight will be the much-awaited Rugby Africa Cup to be hosted for the first time in Uganda from July at the newly-refurbished Namboole Stadium. This edition’s inclusion of female teams from Rwanda highlighted the event’s expanding reach and inclusivity.

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best rugby players 2024

The gala is all about having fun, reconnecting with old classmates as well being competitive on the day with passion. Overall the gala keeps on growing with continued mobilization and it was well organized. You will find many bettors pitting the rugby union vs. rugby league to find out which is the best competition. The rugby union is played by two teams made up of 15 players for each side. The winner of the match is decided over 80 minutes of play with a set of rules that differ to the rugby league variant. Rugby betting online has put the fun into watching your favourite team scoring tries.

Who is in the France Six Nations squad?

The tournament is now firmly established as one of the best on the HSBC Sevens World Series circuit. Get the latest creative news from FooBar about art, design and business. “I never looked back, and I am far better now,” Masaba said.

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Since the inception of RWC in 1987, Emirates has been the first brand to ever feature on the playing kits of players and match officials. We can be found at the centre of the action at every international rugby match through our sponsorship of the World Rugby elite panel of referees, who always take to the field in their Emirates Fly Better kit. We strive to reflect the core values of the game and enrich the experiences of rugby fans across the globe. Our commitment to rugby is showcased by our growing number of sponsorships. While there, he represented the school in the Uganda Secondary School Association (USSA) games and the secondary school sevens, where they qualified for the East African Games, but he did not take part. No wonder, in the quarter-final game, the Rugby Cranes were not in the right physical shape to withstand the battering of their neighbours, Kenya.

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Cheslin Kolbe is a South African professional rugby union player who currently plays for Tokyo Sungoliath in the Japan Rugby League One and the South Africa national team. His regular position is wing, but he also plays at https://ababet.org/ fullback. He has also recently featured at fly half for Toulouse in the Top 14, and as a scrum half internationally. Kolbe was a member of the South Africa Sevens team that won a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

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“I needed someone who I could play with and who would remind me to go and practice. So, I talked him into playing rugby and taught him the basics, but he was more into football,” he said. Primarily, the reason why the Rugby Cranes Sevens side has made tremendous strides, is because of contracted players, who train more regularly. But at the same time, they have had more international engagements. In addition, Shimwa, who is a former student at Ntare School, St Joseph Naggalama, and St Mary’s College Kisubi, has had the test of success as a rugby player. Markedly a centre (a 12 and number 13), Shimwa is a good ball carrier, distributor and jumper.

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“He is a very strong player and very daring.” Even someone who is three times his size will want to take him on. Surprisingly, most of the time, he has had success with the big guys, and I think that is what has made him known in rugby circles,” he said. While at Namilyango College, he played for the school team, where he represented East Africa at the national level in 2011 at Ntare School and in 2012 in Burundi. “At that time, the All Blacks were by far the best rugby team in the world, with a winning percentage of over 70 per cent. At a press conference to preview his side’s trip to Manchester City, Klopp spoke of how he had used that at Mainz, even making his players listen to the famous ‘Haka’ to get them pumped up before games.

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The super rugby competition pits the most competitive rugby nations around the world to see which club is the best. Teams from South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Argentina travel from one continent to another fighting for glory. However, when the time comes, I will be obliged to play my last game at Kyadondo with Heathens. Their support and generosity were clear and all the visiting 13 teams and officials left Uganda in ‘high’ spirits and got a glimpse of our potential hosts for future tournaments. The fans were outstanding and never before have we witnessed such passion in various fully packed stands.

  • Hamson Obua addressed the lads and promised more help to the team as it prepares for the international tournaments in Cape Town and Birmingham.
  • “I’m happy we got a win, it’s good for us but as a coach, I think we still have a lot more to do on the pitch.
  • Bagalana is among the pioneer players of the Jinja club and has scaled the ranks through to the captain.
  • In fact, he is the one player that is a surprise pick for many rugby fans, considering those players left out for him.
  • It is not something I take for granted, it is an honor and I will use it to the best of my ability.
  • It was a program we started in 2013 and these are good fruits of our hard work.
  • Knowing which team is pegged as favourites is simply not enough.

The only reason I defeated them was their lack of regular practice but their skill is still in tact. I would love to play them again when their form is back like in the old days at the Namilyango Pyramid. Rugby’s rules are designed to encourage skill, teamwork, and strategic play, while ensuring player safety as well. The sport’s global popularity and the dedication of millions of players demonstrate the enduring appeal of rugby, emphasizing both its competitive nature and its commitment to sportsmanship. “I’m happy we got a win, it’s good for us but as a coach, I think we still have a lot more to do on the pitch. We have several things that we need to improve especially making sure that all the 16 men are firing.

“We are proud because this is the first time that a regional trophy like this is coming to West Nile and Arua City for Rugby. This shouldn’t go unnoticed; everyone should notice this. “Throughout these four years, we kept on seeing improvement in the boys and the girls.

Japan will host the 2023 Rugby World Cup and the winner is regarded as the best rugby side on the planet. I visit home three times yearly for personal reasons and utilize the opportunity when summoned to the national rugby team. This helps me visit family especially my mother, siblings, and friends as well as my projects. Meanwhile Rams’ female side Ewes will host former champions Thunderbirds at Legends away from home.

That year, he was asked by the rugby captain of his house, Ernest Akorebirungi, to join their team during inter-house competitions. “I had never played rugby, but I was told that I only had to run when given the ball.” “I agreed since there wouldn’t be a lot of contact,” he said. While speaking to BBC Sport recently, Herbert Mensah, the president of Africa Rugby, spoke of how Uganda’s rugby was on the rise. But he noted that Uganda needed more international funding to realize more milestones like consistent appearance in global tournaments. Davis Shimwa, 22, is the one player on the Rugby Cranes squad that will be hoping for a debut.

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  • Find different competitions to bet on along with rugby predictions from our expert panel online.
  • In 2013, Wanyama joined London College of St. Lawrence on a fully paid sports scholarship (rugby), where he says he played the most beautiful rugby.
  • Because he was the only player on the team who took longer to appear, it was upsetting for him to see his teammates train and play without him.
  • “We didn’t know the basics of the game.” The tackles were kicks.
  • When you place a bet on any rugby game online, you have to ensure that you know exactly what you are doing.
  • Union CEO Isaac Lutwama unveiled plans to construct a formidable XVs team within the next eight years, aiming to compete in the Rugby Africa Cup once more and to secure a win.

We have yet to confirm that we are able hosts even after the slump brought around due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “So, that is the stage where the lady’s team is, but the date of the qualifiers hasn’t been given to us. We are currently training them seriously with the boys’ team and we believe something good will come out in the playoffs for the national core league,” Asiku remarked. One of his teammates, Alex Aturinda, describes him as a small man with a big heart.

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Rugby Sevens Cranes head coach Tolbert Onyango has added four new faces to his roster to broaden the base as the tight schedule nears. They include Malcom Okello (Heathens), William Lukwago (Mongers), Mubarak Wandera (Pirates) and last season’s league top point scorer Robin Odrua from Mongers. The Uganda Rugby Sevens teams will launch their new season’s preparations with a trip to South Africa this weekend for the inaugural edition of the Willem Strauss International Rugby Sevens Tournament. The coach and sports administrator has been serving different roles at the club, including the secretary general. The All Blacks are fresh off a one-sided 47-5 thrashing against Fiji in the International Rugby Union. According to assistant coach Jason Ryan, his team has prepared for every challenge the teams in the RC will pose.

But to do that, logistics are needed, that can enable players from which the Rugby Cranes is picked, to train a lot more than the two times in a week. But to consider that for Uganda to secure fifth place ahead of Senegal, they needed extra-time of 20 minutes, and then a late penalty by Joseph Aredo, to win it in sudden death, was a concern. World Rugby ranks Uganda at number 36, while Senegal are at number 61.

All his life up until senior four, Alex Aturinda played football just like most boys. In 2014, while in senior four at Ntare School, he fractured his tibia during one of the football games, forcing him to retire from the sport. In fact, he is the one player that is a surprise pick for many rugby fans, considering those players left out for him. Shimwa, a 6ft 2” tall athlete, has been playing in the top flight for Rhinos since 2019.

Compare that to this time, when they again lost to Zimbabwe at the same stage, it was by two points, being the result in favour of a team that were eventual champions. Two years ago in Marseille, France, where the last Africa Rugby Cup was held, Uganda finished fifth. While the position this time did not change, the performance two years on looked better.

Rehima Anguparu, the Nile Leopardess team Captain, attributed the championship to teamwork, saying everybody worked hard to ensure that the trophy comes home. According to Asiku, the championship means that the Nile Leopardess team is going for playoffs with other regions from Eastern, Central and Western Uganda in order to qualify for the core league. Since its inception in 2021, the club has not only pioneered the introduction of Rugby to an area predominantly focused on other sports but has also made significant strides in empowering the girls and the boys. Kevin Wanyama’s elder brother admires his relentless pursuit of the sport despite opposition from the family. “Conrad has devoted himself entirely to the sport.” The family has not been very supportive of his career. Sometimes they say he should get a job out of town, but that would mean not playing, which I don’t think he can do.

South Africa is one of the leading sevens rugby-playing teams in the world. Uganda’s Sevens rugby men’s national team travel to Zimbabwe for the Africa championship. “We made a list of 28 players with Senegalese players playing in the French championship but also local players. The objective was to put the best players to be able to perform.” He added. Their victory against Uruguay will boost their confidence heading into the Castle Lager competition.

“Outside of the game, he is a very supportive and trustworthy friend.” He is someone who will push you to be better. Heading into the Rugby Africa Cup, Algeria were ranked number 69 in the world, a whopping 33 places behind Uganda. The bottom-line is that Algeria has benefited from the fact that a host of their players, ply their trade in Europe, where the facilities and support system are good, to aid player growth. Although that may have proved to be a consolation, and clearly one many home fans possibly hang onto to ease the disappointment of not winning, Mudoola noted that the team’s struggle on defence still left him puzzled. First, the two teams are already preparing for the third and final round of the respective men’s and women’s World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger to be held in Munich, Germany and Krakow, Poland scheduled for May 18-19.

However, the stats help you reduce the probability of losing by making an informed bet online. Head over to any of our top rated sports betting sites and bet on rugby today. The atmosphere in the stands was electrifying with jubilant rugby fans at the Kyadondo Rugby Grounds. The team made history yet again and it was sobering seeing the Minister of State for Sports Hon. Hamson Obua addressed the lads and promised more help to the team as it prepares for the international tournaments in Cape Town and Birmingham. Olive Onyiru, one of the team players who doubles as the two-times National most valuable player Tier B (2021, 2023), expressed happiness upon lifting the trophy and promised to work hard for more.

The tournament will be played from September 6-8 in Modimolle Municipality, Northern Province of South Africa. Every rugby fan in the world found themselves glued on a screen somewhere for those who could not make the trip to the Stade de France in Paris to cheer on finalists South Africa and New Zealand. With Australia poised to host the RWC in 2027, Schmidt’s main goal is to prepare a squad strong enough to win the competition at home.

Like some of the girls she trains, Inusah, 28, also wears a hijab when she plays and laughs at the idea that Muslim women can’t play the sport. The Government Chief Whip, Hamson Obua in his remarks, hailed the teams and the leadership of the Uganda Rugby Union for setting a high standard in Ugandan sports. A formidable force on the pitch, combining physical strength and a reserved personality, Aturinda plays as a loose forward for the Stanbic Black Pirates and the Uganda Rugby Sevens teams. He possesses good speed, agility, and a strong ball grip, which make him fit for the role. Lubambula described Aturinda as a brilliant athlete who always wants to better himself. “All the years I coached him, he executed leadership skills and was always at the forefront of any team decision, leading his teammates to better performance,” he said.

The organisers of the sevens, Walukuba Rugby Club made a big stride over the weekend after meeting HRH The Kyabazinga of Busoga William Gabula Nadiope IV to discuss rugby development. Union CEO Isaac Lutwama unveiled plans to construct a formidable XVs team within the next eight years, aiming to compete in the Rugby Africa Cup once more and to secure a win. Eric Butime, Vice President of Technical, orchestrated the strategic alliance, leading to both nations penning a memorandum of understanding. Having left Uganda with a goal of winning the Africa 7s to clinch a direct ticket to next year’s Olympics, the Cranes were unable to actualize that dream. The Lady Rugby Cranes showcased their prowess, overpowering Zambia with a victory to secure a bronze medal. This achievement came despite a heavy defeat at the hands of Kenya in the semi-finals.

  • When attacking, you must exercise a lot of discipline and attack with a lot of zeal to move forward because rugby is about moving forward and not backwards.
  • Platinum Credit Heathens captain Michael Wokorach says winning the ForteBet Real Stars sports monthly award for best rugby player of April is motivation for him going into the rest of the season.
  • We strive to reflect the core values of the game and enrich the experiences of rugby fans across the globe.
  • “At that time, the All Blacks were by far the best rugby team in the world, with a winning percentage of over 70 per cent.
  • Head coach Fred Mudoola has already named a 28-man squad and will be tasked to deliver a rare piece of silverware for the Rugby Cranes.

France will face a stiff test in their Pool C match on Thursday against double Olympic champions Fiji, who have suffered a slump in form by their high standards. In fact, one must not forget that a player like Pius Ogena, who is part of the party travelling on September 14, has not been on this team for the last two years. Competition for places has proved so stiff, a pointer also to how good Uganda has become. The games will officially kick off on July 20, with Senegal facing off against Kenya in their opening match at the Namboole Stadium. Stanbic Black Pirates left Jinja with a double reason to smile after winning the Kyabazinga Sevens and the 2023 Nile Special title. “This is a significant opportunity for our teams to compete at a high level, and gain valuable experience, as we look forward,” Lutwama added.