Rugby
Starting
from November 2019, 16 teams will compete in the new Rugby Africa Cup (RAC)
with an aim to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in 2022. This format is
more inclusive and easier to follow. The top 16 teams based on the African
ranking will compete in a single coordinated competition until the last two
face each other in the final.
The first stage consists of a qualifying round: the
teams ranked 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th will oppose the teams ranked 13th, 14th,
15th and 16th, respectively, in a single match at home. The winner of each of
these four matches will progress to the group phase. In this second stage, the
12 teams are divided into 4 pools; inside each pool the 3 teams play against
each other in a home or away game. The winner of each group will progress to
the final tournament of the RAC. The top four teams from Africa will meet in
one venue for the final stage of the RAC, which will include two semi-finals, a
play-off for third place and, ultimately, the final to decide who will be the
African champions.
Between the elimination series, the group rounds and
the final tournament, there will be a total of twenty matches spread over up to
sixteen different host countries across Africa.
"This arrangement gives every team a chance to
make it to the finals and will reward merit and performance. The teams that are
eliminated in the first round will have another chance in November 2020 to try
and re-qualify. Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) is already exploring the
possibility of creating play-offs with other nations not currently part of the
16 but who are keen to be included. All the member countries of Rugby Africa
looking forward to participating in this competition! This exciting format is a
totally different model of competition, with each of the three stages offering
its own unique set of challenges.” Andrew Owor, Vice President of Rugby Africa
said.
"Our idea with RAC is to create a clear path
for the African teams who are fully aware of the steps they need to take to
qualify for the Rugby World Cup. But what is also interesting for the teams
that might find it challenging to qualify for France 2023, is that RAC gives
them a new set of objectives: to secure a place in the group phase so that they
can see how they measure up to the best teams, or even better, to join the top
eight to be sure of a place in RAC the following year,” added Guédel N'Diaye,
director of competitions with Rugby Africa.
The president of Rugby Africa, Khaled Babbou,
expanded on the strategy behind this new project: "We are completely
revising our system of competition. There was a study phase immediately after
the inauguration of the new executive committee which led us to make difficult
but necessary decisions to reposition our brand so that it brings more value to
our federations and our partners in the long term. By introducing this new
format, we hope to forge new partnerships that will allow us to improve our
offering every year.”
“Rugby Africa is committed to a dual strategy, with
an objective to stimulate more countries to get involved in the adventure that
is rugby, to produce a great pool of high-level African athletes and to raise
up our teams to a standard of excellence so that they gain recognition at an
international level. Rugby Africa is already working in this direction with the
other regions and with World Rugby to set up more encounters between the
different continents so that our teams can increase their match experience.”
Herbert Mensah, co-opted member of the Executive
Committee of Rugby Africa, underlines the importance of this decision in the
strategic framework of Rugby Africa’s communication and promotion plans : “The
Board’s ability to attract new media partners in addition to APO Group will
ensure that sponsors and their contributions will be viewed across the
continent as well as globally. It is our aim to sensitise current global
sponsors of the largest growing emerging market which is Africa. This is a very
bold move on the part of the Board aiming and it will require unions and
regions to work closer together to raise awareness, competitions and
sponsorship for other supporting programmes”
“The unveiling of this new competition format is
very exciting for us at APO Group because it give us an opportunity to further
optimise our communication plans promoting African rugby. The new easy to
follow format helps with brand positioning as we work together to attract new
sponsors. We have always been aligned with the values of leadership and spirit
of commitment that Africa rugby represents and we look forward to continuing
our support of the journey and evolution of the game”, said Lionel Reina, CEO
of APO Group, the Main Official Partner of Rugby Africa.
Participating Teams
Current African rankings (Men’s senior, Rugby Union)
used as a basis for the Rugby Africa Cup :
1. Namibia
2. Kenya
3. Uganda
4. Tunisia
5. Zimbabwe
6. Algeria
7. Morocco
8. Zambia
9. Madagascar
10. Côte d’Ivoire
11. Senegal
12. Ghana
13. Botswana
14. Mauritius
15. Rwanda
16. Nigeria
Elimination stage: November 2019 – 4 single matches
23 November : Côte d’Ivoire vs Rwanda in Abidjan /
Ghana vs Botswana in Ghana
30 November : Senegal vs Mauritius in Dakar
1 December : Madagascar vs Nigeria in Antananarivo
Group stage: From June 2020 onwards – 3 matches per
group, 12 in total
Group A: Namibia, Zambia, Winner of the match
Madagascar vs Nigeria
Group B: Kenya, Morocco, Winner of the match Côte
d’Ivoire vs Rwanda
Group C: Uganda, Algeria, Winner of the match
Senegal vs Mauritius
Group D: Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Winner of the match
Ghana vs Botswana
Final stage: July to August 2020 – 4 matches
Semi-final 1: Group A Winner vs Group D Winner
Semi-final 2: Group B Winner vs Group C Winner
Play-off for 3rd place: Loser of semi-final 1 vs
Loser of semi-final 2
Grand final: Winner of semi-final 1 vs Winner of
semi-final 2
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