Rugby
‘Bendel’ qualify for rugby event of National Youth Games
Delta State male rugby team and Edo State female rugby teams have qualified from the South South Zonal elimination played in Asaba over the weekend in preparation for the National Youth Games coming up Ilorin early next month.
According to ‘Mr Rugby’ Obong Ntiense Williams, who coordinated the rugby qualifiers for the zone, “three states contested for the South South zonal elimination for Rugby 7’s event: namely Delta, Rivers and Edo State. Unfortunately Akwa Ibom State dropped their Rugby team on departure and Bayelsa couldn’t feature their U15’s this time around.”
Continuing, he said: “The teams played a round robin games in the male rugby 7’s event. Delta State won two matches against Rivers and Edo respectively, thus accumulating eight points.
“Edo State playing with only six players came second by winning a match against Rivers 3-0 and lost one to Delta 28 to 10 points, thus accumulated four points.
“Rivers came third after losing both matches, but had one bonus point when they lost to Edo within seven points.
The Female 7’s event had only two teams Edo and Delta registered as Rivers didn’t come with their Female Rugby team. Both team played two matches between themselves. They drew in the first match by 10 points a piece and Edo went on to defeat Delta in the Second Match by 17 points to 7 points.
After all the matches, Delta State won the Male Event and Edo State won the Female event and will both represent the Zone early next month for the main National Youth Games in Ilorin.
Meanwhile, the students of St Patrick School where the matches were played trooped out to catch a glimpse of this exciting and beautiful game. They ended up asking for a Coach and will be producing some of the next National Youth Game U15 Rugby Players for Delta State.
In other Zonal Qualifiers, Lagos State will be representing the South West Zone in both Male and Female events, while in the South East Zonal elimination that took place in Ebonyin State, Abia State Male and Anambra State Female teams have qualified to represent the Zone in Ilorin.
In the other Zonal Qualifiers in the North East, Bauchi State will be representing the zone with a Male Rugby Team, while, Kano State will represent the North West Zone in both the Male & Female events. Kwara State completes the North Central zonal representative.
According to Obong Ntiense Williams, “I am so happy that our hard work of introducing Rugby around the country is paying off because, for the first time, we have teams from all the six Geo-Political Zones being represented in the Rugby event.
“This is a product of inclusiveness in the mainstream of sports in Nigeria and a fall out from the just completed 20th National Sports Festival held in Edo State earlier this year, where Rugby returned as a scoring event, thus generating the much needed interest from the states which has resulted in positive Rugby development across the Country.”
The Rugby Federation will like to sincerely thank all the states that have featured Rugby at the respective Teams Sports Zonal Eliminations across the Nation over this weekend and look forward to seeing them all in Ilorin for the main event which will take place from 10 – 19 October 2021.
Rugby
Rugby player of Nigerian roots, Itoje, becomes first black to captain British and Irish Lions in 137 years
Maro Itoje, who was born to Nigerian parents in Camden, North London, has been named the captain of the British and Irish Lions that will be on tour in Australia.
He remarked that he was “deeply honoured and humbled” after being appointed captain of the British and Irish Lions.
The 30-year-old Saracens lock becomes the 47th Lions captain since 1888, the first Black player to captain the side, and only the third Englishman in the last 89 years to be appointed tour leader.
“I will do my best to do the role justice. I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead, it’s going to be a great tour,” he said
“I know the appetite amongst the players is extremely high, everyone is hungry to be a Lion, and I can’t wait to play my role.”
One of the few sure test starters, Itoje will be embarking on his third Lions tour after being selected as the youngest player in New Zealand in 2017 and playing a standout role in South Africa in 2021.
Appointed England captain in place of Jamie George in January, Itoje led his country to second place in this year’s Six Nations Championship with four wins in a row.
The first Englishman to lead the Lions since Martin Johnson 24 years ago, also in Australia, and only the second in the professional era, the London-born son of Nigerian parents was the obvious choice after Ireland captain Caelan Doris suffered a shoulder injury.
Doris was not named in the 38-man squad and is expected to require surgery.
Itoje said he received an unidentified call on his mobile from an Irish number after club training on Tuesday, a bit of a giveaway since Lions head coach Andy Farrell is also the coach of Ireland.
Even though the line was crackling, and he did not have Farrell’s number saved, he recognised the coach’s Wigan accent. Then the line went dead.
“I put the phone down, and then it’s gone, isn’t it? He knows something’s brewing,” laughed Farrell. “So, I rang him back and I went ‘Oh, by the way, would you like to be British and Irish Lions captain?’.
Itoje had dinner in London on Wednesday with some of the past captains, and he said their passion and appreciation shone through.
“It was amazing. It’s a brotherhood, it’s a unique club, and to spend time with them, for them to show the love and care and appreciation that they still have for the Lions. It was absolutely amazing to be a part of that.
“It’s our responsibility now to take it forward and to make sure the Lions continues to be in an elevated position.”
Itoje showed he was captain material from an early age, leading the England Under-20s to Junior World Cup triumph in 2014, even though he became Saracens captain only this season and former coach Eddie Jones had declared him too “inward looking”.
Itoje disagreed with that assessment and has gone on to prove it wrong, while Jones was shown the exit in 2022.
“He has thrived on the England captaincy. He played really well in the Six Nations, but he has played even better for us since then,” Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall told the Guardian this week.
“Maro has absolutely thrived on all of that leadership,” he added. “Maro is very much a leader by what he does and how consistent he is.”
The Lions have a game against Argentina in Dublin on June 20. They will have five tour games before the first test in Brisbane on July 19. The second and third tests are on July 26 and August 2.
-Reuters
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Rugby players are celebrating the return of the sport to the National Sports Festival and will thus be one of the disciplines at the Edo State Sports Festival which is coming up from 22nd to 30th of April 2025 at Benin City.
Rugby is one of the 29 sports approved by the organizing committee of the 4th edition of the Edo State Sports Festival.
The disciplines are: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Chess, Cycling, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Para Athletics, Taekwondo, Tennis, Abula, Ayo, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Deaf Athletics, Karate, Scrabble, Swimming, Dart, Kung-fu, Kickboxing, Table Tennis, Judo, Football and Rugby.
Rugby was previously excluded but the position has changed to encourage Rugby which is very popular in Edo State.
At the National Sports Festival of 2022 in Edo State, rugby was a scoring event. That was 10 years since its absence after featuring last at the Kada Games in 2009 in Kaduna State.
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Ahead of the kickoff of the Africa Rugby Sevens tournament in Mauritius, the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) (www.NigeriaRugby.org) has taken a significant step in repositioning rugby in the country by signing a three-year partnership deal with Flovale Consulting.
The partnership will enable Flovale Consulting to create a dedicated channel and focus efforts on making rugby one of the most popular sports in Nigeria, while also promoting the development of both body and mind. This collaboration aims to lay a strong foundation for the future growth of Nigerian rugby.
“We are passionate about developing rugby as a government agency responsible for the promotion and development of the game in Nigeria,” said NRFF President Dr. Ademola Are. “This partnership will advance rugby in Nigeria through a unified plan that benefits all levels of the game, from community and professional rugby clubs to unions, regions, commercial partners, and fans. Everyone has a role to play.”
The partnership focuses on growing rugby participation, increasing fan engagement, and supporting players at all stages of their careers.
It reflects the NRFF’s ambitions for development and growth, addressing societal issues and values.
The collaboration will create development programs and age-appropriate training structures, ensuring junior players can develop their skills and passion for rugby in a fun and safe environment.
Volunteers and players will be actively supported to fully enjoy their time in the sport.
“We aim to help players reach their full potential and remain involved in rugby into adulthood, whether playing for unions or clubs. Delivering this strategy with our clubs, schools, partner organizations, and commercial partners will ensure that rugby in Nigeria continues to thrive,” said Opeoluwa Runsewe, CEO of Flovale.
Runsewe added, “As a corporate partner, Flovale Consulting is committed to driving growth and success both locally and globally. With careful planning and innovative strategies, this partnership is set to elevate rugby, foster financial stability, and achieve significant milestones.”
“We are excited about this partnership with Flovale. Collaborations such as this will foster the development of rugby in Nigeria,” concluded Dr. Ademola Are, NRFF President.
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