Rugby competition in Africa increasing as 14 teams compete for one Rugby World Cup spot

Competion increases for Rugby World Cup spots in Africa

JOHANNESBURG, June 11 (ANA) – The African competition for spots in the 2023 Rugby World Cup is increasing, with 14 teams from the continent battling it out for one ticket to the quadrennial showpiece.

The Rugby Africa Cup Repechage is currently underway in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The competition will end on Sunday, having started on June 5.

The tournament is the beginning of the path to Rugby World Cup qualification, with the number of teams competing increased from four (in 2016) to 14. The winner of the Rugby Africa Repechage will join 11 other teams in the Rugby Africa qualifiers, and will compete in Group D in Tunisia from July 10 to 18. Group D features Zimbabwe and Tunisia.

This second round of Rugby Africa Cup qualifiers will be played across four groups in July at four different venues in Namibia, Kenya, Uganda and Tunisia.

Burkina Faso Rugby Union president, Rolande Boro said: “As a union we are extremely excited to be the host country and have our national team participate for the first time.

“We have been diligently organising this important tournament and we are more than ready to bring the games to our fans. We have set the bar high to meet international standards knowing very well that this will officially mark the start of the African Qualifiers for the 2023 Rugby World Cup to be held in France.”

Burundi Rugby Union president, Albert Habyarimana said: “This is an ambitious tournament that we will be heading into – a global competitive game that certainly will grow the Burundi national team and encourage fans to participate and support their home team. We are aiming at growing our profile and fan base and this tournament will certainly spotlight the Union and the players.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman