Kenya Sevens' Patrick Odongo, Samuel Asati and Vincent Onyala during training/HANDOUTPlans are underway to launch an Africa Sevens Series later this year, Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) director of fixtures Leslie Mwangale has announced.
Mwangale said the Confederation of African Rugby is considering a three-leg circuit, with Zambia or Zimbabwe lined up as one of the hosts, Uganda set to host another leg, and the series culminating in the Safari Sevens in Nairobi.
He said discussions among rugby-playing nations are at an advanced stage, with the aim of strengthening competition and improving exposure for sevens rugby across the continent.
“The Africa circuit is long overdue owing to the rise and development of the shorter version of the game on the continent,” Mwangale said.
“We have had discussions among rugby-playing nations to see how we can give teams exposure as well as improve sevens rugby. We hope that within the next two to three months it will be firmed up.”
The proposed series will operate on a points-based system, with the overall winner crowned based on cumulative performance across the three legs.
Mwangale pointed to similar structures in other regions as a model for Africa’s development.
“If you look at other regions, there are series for teams in Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania, and these have played a critical role in the development of the game in those regions. Africa as a continent must follow suit,” he said.
The proposed window for the series is between September and November, a period Mwangale believes is suitable given the growing capacity of African nations to host major tournaments.
“As a country, we are hosting major tournaments such as the Sevens, the Africa Cup Women’s tournament, which starts next weekend, as well as the Safari Sevens, which has been held for the past 30 years.
In terms of infrastructure, we are more than ready for a series of this magnitude,” he added.
Among the teams expected to feature are the Emerging Springboks, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Tunisia, Morocco, Burkina Faso and Senegal.
Kenya is expected to field two sides — Shujaa and Kenya Morans — as is customary at the Safari Sevens, to increase depth and provide development opportunities for local players.
However, Mwangale noted that it is still unclear whether the proposed series will include a women’s competition.
