March 16 Remera Buffaloes vs Kigali Sharks Thousand Hills vs Lion de Fer Rwanda Rugby Federation (RRF) has announced that the start of the 2019 national rugby league season has been pushed to March 16. The initial kick-off day was March 9. According to RRF president, Tharcise Kamanda, the clubs requested for the one-week extension so they could finalize the digital registration of players, which is a prerequisite by the International Rugby Union. Kamanda insisted that “The rugby body – and the league – have to run in a professional manner if the sport is to develop. All players should be registered in the new digital system so that they can assess their profiles and transfer information whenever one changes his team.” It is understood that the decision to postpone the league’s start was taken on Friday in a rush meeting between league teams and RRF officials, a day before the championship was due to get underway. As was the case last season, the league will continue to be played under two divisions, on the home and away format. The teams from the Southern Division include; Muhanga, Kamonyi Pumas, UR Grizzlies, Resilience RFC and newly promoted duo Tumba Technical College and Burera Tigers. The Central Division comprises; champions Kigali Sharks, Remera Buffaloes, Thousand Hills and Lion de Fer. According to newly released fixtures, Remera Buffaloes will take on champions Kigali Sharks, while Thousand Hills will face Lion de Fer on the opening day. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
