IRB official salutes Rwanda’s progress

THE International Rugby Board (IRB) Development officer in charge of African countries Jean Luc Barthez has seconded Rwanda to become a full member of the world rugby body. Rwanda has been an affiliate member since 2004 when it was officially integrated into the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR). Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, Barthez said that Rwanda had done enough to win over IRB. “The sport has come along way since 2005 when I first visited the country. The local rugby federation is well structured and the Silverbacks (senior national men’s team) have been engaging themselves in a variety of international engagements which is a big plus,” the official said. “Becoming a full member of the IRB takes time but if the sports continues growing, Rwanda could achieve their goal in the next two or three years,” he added. After his three-day visit, Barthez promised that he would lobby to have world class coaches coming over to train local coaches as well as help out with the Silverbacks. Early this year, Rwanda wooed the international ruby fraternity with a top notch display in the Kwoloo development trophy-a curtain raiser for the prestigious Hong Kong 10s. Ends

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IRB official salutes Rwanda’s progress