While the Rwanda Rugby Federation (RRF) intends to extend its development programmes across the country, some schools have been showing no interest in embracing the game with some labeling the game as ‘dangerous’ and ‘violent’.
"There are administrators who are preventing us from taking the game to their schools. They don’t understand yet why children at their schools should be encouraged to embrace Rugby like they do in Football, Basketball and Volleyball. They say the game is violent,” claims Joseph Izabayo, the Rugby Development Officer (RDO) in Ruhango District.
"Children love Rugby but their head teachers are stopping them from playing it and it makes children unhappy,” echoed Nyamasheke RDO Frederic Nsengumuremyi.
A number of rugby coaches who spoke to Times Sport claim that head teachers have little understanding about the sport and are misinformed that it is too dangerous for young students, hence putting the rugby development programmes in schools in jeopardy.
Rugby officials suggested that more efforts are needed to change schools’ mindset on Rugby or it could hinder the development of the game in schools as planned if the issue continues to persist,
Father Innocent Gatete, the President of Rwanda School Sports said that they are going to do all they can to include Rugby in more schools as well as increase rugby competitions among schools.
"I think more schools will embrace rugby if officials of the Rugby federation and school administrators work hand in hand. We want to see the game growing in schools to make sure the set development programme is achieved and there is a need for concerted collaboration between technicians and schools to make it happen,” he said.
The rugby body so far operates its rugby development programmes in 10 districts namely Kamonyi, Muhanga, Ruhango, Huye and Nyamagabe in Southern Province, Nyamasheke and Rusizi in Western Province, Rwamagana in Eastern Province, Burera in Northern Province and Gasabo in the City of Kigali.
The federation, however, targets to extend its development programmes across the country in the next three years whereby each of the 30 districts will have at least one Rugby Development Officer for them to produce plenty of talent in the rugby game ready to compete internationally, as pointed out by RRF president Tharcisse Kamanda.
"We want to make sure our development programmes reach all schools in the country. We will be hiring more technicians to help us coordinate the programme implementation, especially in schools because the majority of players are discovered in schools,” said Kamanda.