August 1Group A

Magascar vs Rwanda 6pmDR Congo vs Senegal 8pm

Group BBenin vs Ethiopia 4pm

RWANDA U20 men’s handball team will start the quest for the 2017 IHF Continental Phase – Africa glory against Madagascar on August 1 at Stade Amadou Barry. The five-day competition will run from August 1 to 5 in Dakar, Senegal.

Debutants Rwanda, who qualified after winning the regional qualifiers held in Uganda last December, will be looking to impress and progress from Group A that also includes DR Congo and hosts Senegal.

The team which has been in residential training camp since July 16 at University of Rwanda – Huye Campus in Southern Province, will have a tough job to reach semi-finals, according to head coach Antoine Ntabanganyimana.

"We have been drawn in a tough pool against more experienced opponents, but we know that we have to focus on one game at a time and approach it like a final,” Ntabanganyimana told Times Sport on Wednesday.

The Zone V champions will leave for Senegal on July 30. The technical team will announce the final 14-player squad a day before departure.

This year’s continental showpiece will attract a total of 14 countries, 7 in each gender category.

The teams in men’s category include; Senegal, Benin, Ethiopia, Madagascar, DR Congo, Mozambique and Rwanda while women’s category will have Guinea, Benin, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Uganda, Mozambique and Madagascar.

The team played two warm-up matches over the weekend, one against a select team of Huye-based players, another against a select team of Kigali-based players, and won both 36-23 and 41-28 respectively.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw