Rugby devt in schools takes shape

For a game to develop it starts from the grass-roots. It also calls for sacrifice and time to lay a firm foundation for the sport to flourish. This is actually the story of rugby development in the country. Various individuals and institutions have made an effort to take the game to primary and secondary schools as a way of promoting it. At the forefront of this campaign is the Friends of Rwandan Rugby (FoRR), a charity founded by Emma Rees in 2004, who was then based in the village of Shyogwe as a teacher of English. FoRR aims to spread the game in upcountry schools and rural communities. Only this year, eight Rugby Development Officers (RDOs) affiliated to FoRR have introduced the game to 12 primary schools and 11 secondary schools around the country and the numbers are expected to grow. However, introducing a game is one thing, and keeping it up is another according to Laurien Hakizimana, a Muhanga-based RDO, who also features for league side Muhanga RFC and the national team, the Silverbacks. “There’s a lack of qualified and capable coaches specifically for the schools teams, which is why somebody has to sacrifice to keep the game running in schools,” he told Saturday Sport in an interview last week. He added, “It is the enthusiasm of the newcomers to the game that encourages a volunteer trainer to keep going.” The General Secretary of the Rwanda Rugby Federation (FRR) and a Programme Manager with FoRR, Tharcisse Kamanda, says the sport has progressed in schools since 2004. He says the number of secondary schools playing Rugby is 74 while primary schools are 84. He reveals that the increase in the number of schools playing rugby has greatly contributed to the drafting of Rugby in the national post-primary competition since 2010. The winners of the tournament, which is in a seven-aside format, go on to represent the country in the East Africa inter-schools Games (FEASSA). This year’s edition will be hosted by Rwanda’s Huye District in August. A close look at the league shows that most teams in the National Rugby League are made up of high school students. Such is the scenario that, last season, after a loss to the Lion De Fer RFC, Barnabas Ngizwenayo, the captain of the Kigali Sharks RFC, attributed the club’s performance to the unavailability of their student-players. This shows that the road after high school for most student-players is a bit hazy, as players switch to other activities after high school; which means the clubs and the country lose out on that talent. A good number of the post high school players are diploma holders and they need to get rewarding employment to support their participation in the sport. G.S St. Famille train for an inter-schools game at Rugunga. (S. Kalimba) In the meantime, no budget or programme is allocated by the government for sports scholarship, largely due to a shortage in funding and pressing priorities. The question that the concerned ministry needs to start asking themselves is, not what sport (not just rugby) can do for us but what we can do for it. Where the rugby fraternity can’t reach some schools or corners of the country, an individual has to light a candle, the way Derrick Kiiza, a student at King David Academy in Kanombe, has done to successfully introduce rugby to his school. After joining the Academy three years ago, he set out by interesting fellow students, he went on to involve the administration and even approached Jimmy Adams Mugabo, Rwanda Rugby Federation CEO. According to the S.6 candidate, “Nothing comes easy in life, it all needs perseverance.” He and his colleagues sometimes have to dig into their pockets to support their activities. Hillary Demarco Mbabazi, the sports master at King David Academy says, “Most schools are scared of financing their teams to the expectations of the students because, it encroaches on their budget so much.” Fortunately, Kiiza’s efforts have bore fruits. Thousand Hills RFC, which is coached by Mugabo has offered them some balls and other basic equipment. Mugabo says they are looking at drafting some players from Kings David and other schools for the Nyamirambo-based league club. “Our aim is to promote student-players as most of the players in the country are in high school or at university,” says Mugabo.

Sports

Rugby devt in schools takes shape