The senior men’s national Rugby team, the Silverbacks, are keen on friendly games this year following the cancellation of the 2019 Africa Rugby Silver Cup. Silverbacks had been placed in Group B of the second tier of Africa Rugby, alongside Ivory Coast, Senegal and Mauritius B with matches supposed to be played from June 13-24 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Rwanda National Rugby Federation administrator John Livingstone Muhire attributed the tournament cancellation to financial constraints, adding that the local federation will now try and find friendlies for the national team to keep it in competitive mood. “We regret to inform you that the 2019 Silver Cup and 2019 Gold Cup tournaments are canceled,” a statement from Africa Rugby reads in part. The move comes after the premature termination of Rugby Africa-Kwese Sports contract which has left a huge gap in the 2019 budget. “Rugby Africa’s executive committee is currently working in conjunction with World Rugby to suggest other formats of 15-a-side competitions which will be financially feasible in 2019 and won’t jeopardise the future of Rugby Africa’s competitions,” the Africa Rugby board added in the statement. “At the same time, we are working on a new Rugby World Cup Qualifier model which needs to be sustainable, inclusive and attractive. Unions/Federations will be consulted in this process with an aim to release the final fixtures for 2020 in October 2019.” The continental rugby body noted that they will inform all federations shortly about other options for men’s 15-a-side competition in 2019 as well as the final dates and venues for the Olympic Qualifiers. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
