Kenya Rugby Union chairman Sasha Mutai said plans are underway to introduce rugby in primary schools
Speaking at the Rugby Union Development Conference at Strathmore University, Mutai said: "I am keen on seeing KRU partner with the Ministry of Education as we seek to have the game of rugby formally introduced at the primary school level at some point next year."
"It is important that we tap into the private/international schools’ systems in order to compliment the talent coming through the public schools’ system in a bid to further grow the Kenyan talent pool,” said Mutai.
Zimbabwe Under 20 committee chairman Itai Chataurwa said Kenya needs to borrow a leaf from his country, where the junior team has become a force to reckon with on the continent.
"To succeed in age-grade rugby, you need a lot of goodwill from parents. Our program is supported by parents and the private sector,” said Chataurwa.
He added that Kenya needs to build a legacy that can drive interest and attention into schools' rugby, which can bring a radical shift in the game. This will include rules such as making it mandatory for all primary school coaches to have Level I certification.
Chataurwa said they have been able to build teams for both boys and girls using the system and he is confident this can work in Kenya too.
“For the high schools, we group them according to performance where those with higher performances play in the same tier. We have national under 14, under 17 under 18 and under 20 teams for both boys and girls, who play in the Craven Week in South Africa," he added.
Former Kenya Simbas and KCB coach Micheal 'Tank' Otieno agreed that there must be a pathway to develop young players from high school.
“There is no structured system in place to enable the nurturing and development of talent through an elite pathway into the national teams via a tracking system,” said Otieno.
He also called for more resources to be availed for the women’s game.
“We must avail more resources to enable our women play the game of rugby at the highest levels,” he said.
