BENON Mugisha, the head coach of Rwanda Energy Group (REG) volleyball club, has said that his side will do everything they can to put up a memorable performance when they represent the country at the Men’s African Club Championships next year. The Confederation of African Volleyball (CAVB) is yet to determine the host country and exact dates, but the tournament usually takes place in March or early April. REG won the rights to represent Rwanda in the next African championships in May after dethroning Gisagara as the national volleyball league champions – the club’s historic first league title. Speaking to Times Sport on Tuesday, Mugisha said that he and his players understand ‘the significance of representing the country’ and they will ensure they give it their best. “We know what it means to represent the country, and we want to do it in style. We have started to think about it, and we will make sure we start preparing for it as early as possible,” said Mugisha. He added: “We have reinforced the squad since winning the league, and the group is more homogenous now. The target is to try to put up a performance that no other Rwandan side has ever achieved before. And, we believe we can.” At last year’s edition, held in Egypt, Rwandan representatives Gisagara finished in 11th position. University of Rwanda (formerly National University of Rwanda – NUR) team hold the record for Rwanda’s best representation in the continent’s biggest club competition when they finished fourth in 2011. No club outside Egypt (20 times), Tunisia (15) and Algeria (3) has ever won the competition since its inception 1980. Rwanda ranked sixth in Africa In the meantime, Rwanda has been ranked sixth in Africa and 54th on the global scene in the latest rankings by the International Volleyball Federation. However, Rwanda is second in sub-Saharan Africa, only behind Cameroon who are third. Egypt are top, followed by Tunisia. Algeria and Morocco are fourth and fifth, respectively.
