Victoria Cup may be postponed after Ugandan and Zimbabwe pull out

The annual Victoria Cup may be shelved this year after holders Zimbabwe and Uganda pulled out. Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman Mwangi Muthee said he is disappointed with the withdrawal of the two countries. Zimbabwe were due to play Uganda last weekend and then face Kenya this weekend but did not show up and Muthee wants an explanation from the two countries. “I have written a letter to the Zimbabwe Rugby Union chairman and his counterpart in Uganda and copied the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR), seeking reasons why they pulled out of this year’s event,” he said.

Muthee said International fixtures are planned well in advance, adding that the timing of the withdrawal is suspect. “We all knew the tournament was going to be played in July and we needed to plan our local calendar to fit in the Victoria Cup. It’s very disappointing for the two teams to have pulled out,” he added. Sources indicated that Zimbabwe and Uganda had pulled out, owing to financial constraints after participating in the Confederation of Africa Rugby (CAF) tournament in Tunisia recently. Muthee added that the Victoria Cup was key as it gives the three countries more games to play in the year.

Kenya team was due to resume training on Friday while Uganda was supposed to travel to Zimbabwe and play on Saturday, according to the fixtures released by the Kenya Rugby Union. Kenya were looking at improving their ranking in the IRB. Kenya won the 2010 edition, beating both Uganda and Zimbabwe home and away before relinquishing the title to Zimbabwe last year.