Latest news with #RugbyAfricaCup
United News of India
3 days ago
- Sport
- United News of India
Zimbabwe beats Namibia to qualify for 2027 Rugby World Cup
Kampala, July 20 (UNI) Zimbabwe's national 15s rugby team, the Sables, has qualified for the 2027 Rugby World Cup after edging out arch-rival Namibia 30-28 in a thrilling final of the Rugby Africa Cup. Led by captain Hilton Mudariki, Zimbabwe sealed their ticket to the global tournament - set to be held in Australia - with a spirited performance at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala. The closely contested first half ended in a 16-16 stalemate, but the Sables returned stronger after the break. Tries from Godfrey Muzanargwo and Brandon Mudzekenyedzi, along with flawless conversions by Ian Prior, pushed Zimbabwe to a commanding 30-16 lead. Namibia, however, staged a late comeback with two tries and a conversion, narrowing the deficit to just two points. A missed penalty in the dying moments ultimately cost them the match, handing Zimbabwe the Rugby Africa Cup trophy and their first World Cup qualification since 1991. "We are very happy that we have remained focused since the start of the competition and eventually qualified for the World Cup after last making it in 1991. I want to thank all the players and technical bench for a job well done," Mudariki told Xinhua. In an earlier classification match, host Uganda avoided relegation by defeating Cote d'Ivoire 37-17 to finish seventh out of eight teams. Algeria pulled off a surprise 15-5 win over Kenya to claim third place, while Senegal edged Morocco 33-28 to secure fifth. Herbert Mensah, President of Rugby Africa, praised the organizers and commended the quality of competition throughout the tournament. "The level of competition in the tournament was high and I want to thank all the eight teams for the good show. Congratulations to the Zimbabwe team for qualifying for the World Cup, and Namibia - you still have a chance to qualify through the repechage," said Mensah. UNI XINHUA RKM
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Zimbabwe reach first Rugby World Cup since 1991
Zimbabwe have qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1991 after beating Namibia 30-28 in the Rugby Africa Cup final in means they will be among 24 teams at the 2027 World Cup in will be making their third appearance at the tournament, having also been invited to represent Africa at the inaugural World Cup in Sables went into Saturday's final as Rugby Africa Cup holders, having defeated Namibia in last year's was 16-16 at half-time, but Godfrey Muzanargwo and Brandon Mudzekenyedzi appeared to have put Zimbabwe firmly in control with tries early in the second Nel and Adriaan Booysen then crossed the line for a Namibia team coached by former Saracens back row Jacques Burger, making it a two-point game with 10 minutes Burger's side could not find the crucial score needed to overturn the deficit, seeing substitute Tiaan Swanepoel fire a penalty from inside his own half wide of the posts in the 79th result brings to an end an era of dominance for the Welwitschias, who had reached the past seven Rugby World Cups, with Ivory Coast the only other African nation to come through the continent's qualifiers in Zimbabwe have now confirmed their place alongside holders South Africa, Namibia do still have a chance of reaching the newly expanded World face the United Arab Emirates, runners-up at the Asia Rugby Men's Championship, next Saturday in a play-off for the right to take part in the four-team Final Qualification Tournament, which will be held in Dubai in November.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Zimbabwe qualify for Rugby World Cup
KAMPALA - Zimbabwe qualified for the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1991 as they held on for a 30-28 victory over Namibia in the Rugby Africa Cup final in the Ugandan capital on Saturday. Zimbabwe will take up the berth reserved for the continental competition winner in Australia in 2027 while Namibia will get a second chance to compete at the World Cup through play-offs later this year. Namibia have qualified for the last seven World Cups but it will be only a third appearance for Zimbabwe, who competed at the first two tournaments in 1987 and 1991. The two teams were tied 16-16 at halftime but two quick tries after the break saw Zimbabwe go 30-16 ahead, only for Namibia to claw their way to a two-point deficit before missing a long-range penalty in the last minute that would have won the game. REUTERS
TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Big dreams and tight budgets are Rugby Africa's dilemma
Namibia and Zimbabwe contest the final of the Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala on Saturday, where the winner will earn a place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia and represent a continent with big ambitions in the game but scarce resources to fulfil them. Namibia have appeared at every World Cup since 1999, while Zimbabwe contested the first two in 1987 and 1991, but have not been back since. They beat Namibia 32-10 last year, suggesting their chances are good. Namibia's success at reaching the global showpiece event is largely down to their exposure to the South African rugby ecosystem that is among the best in the world, helping to polish the country's rough diamonds. There is no shortage of passion for the game across Africa, from Morocco and Algeria in the north, Senegal and Ivory Coast in the west, to Kenya and Uganda in the east.
CNA
5 days ago
- Sport
- CNA
Big dreams and tight budgets are Rugby Africa's dilemma
CAPE TOWN :Namibia and Zimbabwe contest the final of the Rugby Africa Cup in Kampala on Saturday, where the winner will earn a place at the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia and represent a continent with big ambitions in the game but scarce resources to fulfil them. Namibia have appeared at every World Cup since 1999, while Zimbabwe contested the first two in 1987 and 1991, but have not been back since. They beat Namibia 32-10 last year, suggesting their chances are good. Namibia's success at reaching the global showpiece event is largely down to their exposure to the South African rugby ecosystem that is among the best in the world, helping to polish the country's rough diamonds. There is no shortage of passion for the game across Africa, from Morocco and Algeria in the north, Senegal and Ivory Coast in the west, to Kenya and Uganda in the east. Madagascar sees crowds of up to 30,000 supporters at domestic fixtures, sometimes more than football, which still reigns supreme as the number one sport on the continent. But taking this enthusiasm and turning it into developing teams that can be competitive on a global scale beyond South Africa's Springboks is a huge challenge. "People often ask, 'Why does only Namibia qualify for the World Cup?'," Rugby Africa president Herbert Mensah said in an interview with Reuters. "The truth is that sport is big business. Countries like England receive over 150 million pounds ($201 million) annually to fund their national rugby programs. "In contrast, the entire continent of Africa, excluding South Africa, receives about $2 million. That disparity limits what we can do. "We have over 40 Rugby Africa member nations. Air travel alone, say, from Dakar to Madagascar, can cost upwards of 2,000 dollars (per person). Development isn't just about passion, it's about resources. "We need funding to sustain age-grade competitions, develop women's rugby, and run grassroots programs continent-wide. Right now, that infrastructure is still lacking." But it is not all doom and gloom. Mensah, who is a member of World Rugby's Executive Board, says African governments are starting to see the value in investing in the game beyond the millions of dollars they generally put into football annually. "We've seen massive buy-in recently," he said. "Uganda's government committed over 3 billion shillings ($838,457) to host the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup. Morocco, Ghana and Ivory Coast have all supported events financially. "Morocco allocates more than 1 per cent of its GDP to grassroots sport, including rugby. There's real momentum. "This shows we're not solely reliant on World Rugby. The more governments invest, the more attractive we become to sponsors. It's a multi-step strategy, first governments, then sponsors. That's how we scale the game." ($1 = 0.7465 pounds)
