The National Rugby League is set to run longer than planned this season due to different challenges, among them, teams that keep requesting for matches to be postponed because they are not well prepared.

The latest games to be postponed are the National University of Rwanda side UR Grizzlies away game to Rusizi-based Resurgence RFC and Remera Buffaloes game against Lion de Fer which were scheduled to be played last weekend before the mid-season break.

This is a set back at a time when the league is showing traces of professionalism, with an overall improvement in different areas and the first month as a full member of the World Rugby, the games’ international governing body.

Tharcisse Kamanda, the Rwanda Rugby Federation (RRF) secretary general says, "there is no reason” as to why clubs aren’t ready to play but merely poor organisation and management.

"The challenge (for the clubs) is about training, some of these teams lack managers and coaches to put the teams together. When you watch league games you see the difference. Players of some teams commit many mistakes in games, which is a result of lack of proper training,” he says.

 A majority of players for most of the clubs are high school students and getting them together for proper training is a challenge that teams are always faced with.

The high score margins like Remera Buffaloes’  61-0 rout of Kigali Sharks is an indication of that, it gets worse when it is school examination period.

Another issue is the over reliance on one or two players on the pitch and in management. It leaves a vacuum when these players leave for work or further studies.

Lion de Fer have suffered with the departure of influential captain Olivier Nikwigize who left for studies in the US.

However, with the return of center Marcel ‘Koko’ Cambara, who also returned after two years (studies) and the appointment of new coach Arnold Kwizera, they have a chance of increasing their player numbers. The Mumena-based side have played games with one or two substitutes on the bench.

The Southern Province league is slightly better off with better organisation and player numbers, and matches are unlikely to be postponed—apart from UR Grizzlies, who have unique challenges as an institution-based team.

Their away match against Resilience in Risizi was called off a day before because of unpaid allowances, and according to the captain, Claude Mudaheranwa, the team was better off in terms of organisation before the national university merged.  

UR Grizzlies’ rivals Muhanga RFC, Kamonyi Pumas and Resilience don’t have the luxury of players’ allowances because they work with  limited budgets.

These clubs survive on sporadic sponsorship for special needs like players’ health insurance while players contribute among themselves for basic needs like meals and welfare.

However; effective this season, league organizers, the Rwanda Rugby Federation, started to provide transport allowance for the clubs on match-days, thanks to US$25000 donation by Hong Kong-based former national team coach, Dave Hughes.

According to Kamanda, the woes in the league will continue unless the federation can attract permanent sponsors or if the clubs attract sponsors of their own just like is the case in other rugby playing nations.

The persistent lack of sponsors means the Sevens tournament that have previously been organised by clubs in previous years are unlikely to be played. This limits the number of games played on the calendar.

The league kicked off on January 25 and so far, a total of 22 games have been played. Two games are left before the mid season break, one in the Kigali Central League and one in the Southern Province League.  

Ideally, the season is scheduled to end before the Africa Rugby Division 2 Cup to be hosted by Rwanda from May 15 to 21, however, with many postponements, it means  the play offs will be played after.

Rwanda became full member of World Rugby effective January, which comes with grants, but the funds will only come after the 24 months of probation, and will specifically go into running the federation activities and paying salaries for the staff.  

Therefore, clubs have to improve their organisation and management in order to help the federation to run the league more effectively and professionally.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw