Kenya national rugby union team
Encyclopedia
The Kenya national rugby union team is the Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...

n national team in Rugby
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...

. it is controlled by the Kenya Rugby Football Union
Kenya Rugby Football Union
Kenya Rugby Football Union is the governing body of Rugby Union in Kenya. It organises Kenyan national teams and various competitions. It is a member of the International Rugby Board....

.

The team participates Confederation of African Rugby
Confederation of African Rugby
The Confederation of African Rugby is governing body for rugby union within Africa. The Confederation currently has 37 member nations and is responsible for running various rugby tournaments within Africa, especially the Africa Cup, and CAR Super 16.-History:The Confederation was officially...

 (CAR) tournaments, but has never qualified for the Rugby World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

.

A Kenya representative rugby team first played against the touring Combined South African Universities in 1929, starting a long tradition of Kenya national teams playing touring universities (mostly South African), clubs and military units (mostly Royal Naval vessels). Kenya played its first international in 1954, beating Tanganyika
Tanzania national rugby union team
The Tanzania national rugby union team represents Tanzania in international rugby union. They are known as the Twigas . Tanzania are a member of the International Rugby Board , and have yet to play in a Rugby World Cup tournament. In the 1970s expatriates and Tanzanians regularly played in the...

 although the score of the game is not known. This fixture was repeated in 1955 and 1956 and then in 1958 Kenya played Uganda
Uganda national rugby union team
The Uganda national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Uganda, representing them at rugby union. Rugby union was introduced by the British during colonial rule and Uganda played their first international game against Kenya in 1958...

. These two countries were the major source of opposition for the side during the ensuing decades with matches being played frequently but irregularly as political problems in the region often interfered with fixtures. Zambia
Zambia national rugby union team
Zambia national rugby union team is a third tier rugby union side representing Zambia. They first played in 1975 and now compete on an annual basis in the Africa Cup. They have yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup....

 and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe national rugby union team
The Zimbabwe national rugby union team is the rugby union team representing Zimbabwe. They are considered to be a third tier rugby union nation...

 also provided regular opposition from the mid-1970s until the late 1980s when the formation of the CAR
Confederation of African Rugby
The Confederation of African Rugby is governing body for rugby union within Africa. The Confederation currently has 37 member nations and is responsible for running various rugby tournaments within Africa, especially the Africa Cup, and CAR Super 16.-History:The Confederation was officially...

 and the expansion of the World Cup
Rugby World Cup
The Rugby World Cup is an international rugby union competition organised by the International Rugby Board and held every four years since 1987....

 provided opportunities to play competitively against many other nations. Its biggest win is against Nigeria
Nigeria national rugby union team
The Nigeria national rugby union team represent Nigeria in the sport of rugby union. Nigeria have thus far not qualified for a Rugby World Cup, but have competed in qualifying tournaments....

, 96-3 on 10 August 1987 and worst defeat against Namibia
Namibia national rugby union team
The Namibian rugby union team, nicknamed the Welwitschias or Biltongboere, represents Namibia at rugby union. Although they are a tier-three nation in the International Rugby Board tier system, the team have participated in all three Rugby World Cup competitions since their first appearance in 1999...

 12-84 on 27 May 2006.

The Kenyan sevens team
Kenya national rugby union team (sevens)
The Kenya national rugby union sevens team compete in the IRB Sevens World Series and Rugby World Cup Sevens. They are currently one of the 12 "core teams" of the IRB Sevens, with a guaranteed place in all eight events each season....

 takes part in international Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens
Rugby sevens, also known as seven-a-side or VIIs, is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players, instead of the usual 15, with shorter matches. Rugby sevens is administered by the International Rugby Board , the body responsible for rugby union worldwide...

 competitions and has been more successful than their XV counterpart. Their breakthrough season was 2008–09, in which they made the semifinals of the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens
The 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup was the fifth edition of the Rugby sevens world cup. The International Rugby Board selected Dubai in the United Arab Emirates as the host venue for the tournament ahead of bids from four other countries. The format included nine direct qualifiers and a further...

 and advanced to one final and two semifinals in that year's IRB Sevens World Series
IRB Sevens World Series
The IRB Sevens World Series, known officially as the HSBC Sevens World Series as of the 2010-11 season, through sponsorship from banking group HSBC, and also sometimes called the World Sevens Series, is a series of international rugby union sevens tournaments organised for the first time in the...

. Before that, perhaps their most successful moment in sevens was beating rugby giant Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

 in the London Sevens 2006, going on to reach the Final of the Plate competition. In the 2007 rugby sevens in New Zealand, Kenya went on to draw 2nd in their pot, beating such rugby giants as Argentina and Tonga, before being narrowly defeated in the quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Fiji
Fiji national rugby union team (sevens)
The Fiji Sevens side is one of the most popular and successful Sevens teams in the world and has won the Hong Kong Sevens a record nine times since its inception in 1976. Fiji has also won the Sevens World Cup twice, winning that event in 1997 and 2005...

.

Kenya compete annually against Uganda
Uganda national rugby union team
The Uganda national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Uganda, representing them at rugby union. Rugby union was introduced by the British during colonial rule and Uganda played their first international game against Kenya in 1958...

 in the Elgon Cup
Elgon Cup
The Elgon Cup is contested between the rugby union teams of Kenya and Uganda. The men's and women's teams of these countries each compete annually for their respective cups on a Home-and-Away basis...

.

During the 2011 Rugby World Cup – Africa qualification, Kenya was placed in pool c, and came away with a 76-8 win over Cameroon
Cameroon national rugby union team
The Cameroon national rugby union team represent Cameroon in the sport of rugby union. They are ranked as a tier-three nation by the International Rugby Board . Cameroon have thus far not qualified for a Rugby World Cup, but have competed in qualifying tournaments...

 and a loss to Tunisia
Tunisia national rugby union team
The Tunisia national rugby union team is the national team of Tunisia, a third tier rugby union nation. They first started competing in 1979 and they competed, unsuccessfully in the African qualification for the 2007 Rugby World Cup....

 which means they did not qualify for the semi finals.

The home ground of Kenya national rugby union team is the RFUEA Ground
RFUEA Ground
The RFUEA Ground is a rugby union stadium located on the Ngong Road in Nairobi, Kenya. It was purpose built to be the home of the national team and to serve as the headquarters of the Rugby Football Union of Kenya...

 in Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...

.

International Results

Against Played Won Lost Drawn For Against % Won
2
2
0
0
61
41
1
1
0
0
80
9
4
4
0
0
156
55
3
0
2
1
60
73
3
1
2
0
37
74
5
1
4
0
68
267
1
1
0
0
96
3
1
1
0
0
22
7
5
2
3
0
94
163
16
11
5
0
372
274
1
1
0
0
33
10
10
3
7
0
154
276
Total 52 28 23 1 1233 1252

2010 Victoria cup squad

The Victoria Cup
Victoria Cup (rugby union)
The Victoria Cup is the newest competition in African rugby. Three teams, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe compete for this Cup in a format similar to that of the Tri Nations...

 is the newest competition in African rugby; the 2010 season was the first year it has been held. Three teams, Kenya, Uganda
Uganda national rugby union team
The Uganda national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Uganda, representing them at rugby union. Rugby union was introduced by the British during colonial rule and Uganda played their first international game against Kenya in 1958...

 and Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe national rugby union team
The Zimbabwe national rugby union team is the rugby union team representing Zimbabwe. They are considered to be a third tier rugby union nation...

 compete for this Cup in a format similar to that of the Tri Nations. Just as the Bledisloe Cup
Bledisloe Cup
Rugby Union's Bledisloe Cup is contested by the Australia national rugby union team and New Zealand national rugby union team. It is named after Lord Bledisloe, the former Governor-General of New Zealand who donated the trophy in 1931. The trophy was designed in New Zealand by Nelson Isaac, and...

 (Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...

 and New Zealand), Freedom Cup
Freedom Cup
The Freedom Cup is a minor international rugby union trophy contested between South Africa and New Zealand, during the Tri Nations tournament and its successor, The Rugby Championship. It was first contested in 2004 , in a one-off test. The game, played at Ellis Park, Johannesburg was won 40-26 by...

 (New Zealand and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...

) and Mandela Challenge Plate
Mandela Challenge Plate
The Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate is a rugby union trophy contested between Australia and South Africa. It is named after South Africa's first post-apartheid president, Nelson Mandela....

 (Australia
Australia national rugby union team
The Australian national rugby union team is the representative side of Australia in rugby union. The national team is nicknamed the Wallabies and competes annually with New Zealand and South Africa in the Tri-Nations Series, in which they also contest the Bledisloe Cup with New Zealand and the...

 and South Africa
South Africa national rugby union team
The South African national rugby union team are 2009 British and Irish Lions Series winners. They are currently ranked as the fourth best team in the IRB World Rankings and were named 2008 World Team of the Year at the prestigious Laureus World Sports Awards.Although South Africa was instrumental...

) have been subsumed into the Tri Nations and as the Calcutta Cup (England
England national rugby union team
The England national rugby union team represents England in rugby union. They compete in the annual Six Nations Championship with France, Ireland, Scotland, Italy, and Wales. They have won this championship on 26 occasions, 12 times winning the Grand Slam, making them the most successful team in...

 and Scotland
Scotland national rugby union team
The Scotland national rugby union team represent Scotland in international rugby union. Rugby union in Scotland is administered by the Scottish Rugby Union. The Scotland rugby union team is currently ranked eighth in the IRB World Rankings as of 19 September 2011...

) is now part of the Six Nations
Six Nations Championship
The Six Nations Championship is an annual international rugby union competition involving six European sides: England, France, Ireland, Italy, Scotland and Wales....

, so the pre-existing Elgon Cup between Kenya and Uganda
Uganda national rugby union team
The Uganda national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Uganda, representing them at rugby union. Rugby union was introduced by the British during colonial rule and Uganda played their first international game against Kenya in 1958...

 will from now on be played for within this new competition.
  • Daniel Kiptoo (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Vincent Ongera (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Joel Ng'anga (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Wilson K'Opondo (Mean Machine RFC
    Mean Machine RFC
    Mean Machine RFC is a Rugby union club based in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the representative side of the University of Nairobi and was founded in 1977 during the time when rugby union in Kenya was predominantly played by white settlers and expats. In their inaugural year they won the Kenya Cup...

    )
  • Michael Aung (vice captain, Nondescripts RFC
    Nondescripts RFC
    Nondescripts Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nairobi. The club is the oldest in Kenya, and was founded in 1923 after the splitting of the Nairobi rugby club. The club 1st XV compete in the Kenya Cup, while the 2nd XV compete in the Eric Shirley Shield...

    )
  • Ben Nyambu (Nondescripts RFC
    Nondescripts RFC
    Nondescripts Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nairobi. The club is the oldest in Kenya, and was founded in 1923 after the splitting of the Nairobi rugby club. The club 1st XV compete in the Kenya Cup, while the 2nd XV compete in the Eric Shirley Shield...

    )
  • David Mogere (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Paul Oimbo (Impala RFC
    Impala RFC
    Impala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...

    )
  • Peter Mutai (Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank Rugby Football Club, is a Rugby union team based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was formed in 1989 after the dispanding of Kenya Breweries RFC when the main sponsor Kenya Breweries, pulled out. That year they joined the Kenya Cup. Their first match was against Impala RFC whom they beat...

    )
  • Nato Simiyu (Impala RFC
    Impala RFC
    Impala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...

    )
  • Peter Abuoga (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Patrice Agunda (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Innocent Simiyu (Captain, Impala RFC
    Impala RFC
    Impala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...

    )
  • Victor Sudi (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Vincent Mose (Impala RFC
    Impala RFC
    Impala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...

    )
  • Edwin Alubaka (Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank Rugby Football Club, is a Rugby union team based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was formed in 1989 after the dispanding of Kenya Breweries RFC when the main sponsor Kenya Breweries, pulled out. That year they joined the Kenya Cup. Their first match was against Impala RFC whom they beat...

    )
  • Nzioka Muema (Impala RFC
    Impala RFC
    Impala Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based at the Impala Club . The club competes in the Kenya Cup as well as the Enterprise Cup...

    )
  • Tony Mutai (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Andrew Amonde (Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank Rugby Football Club, is a Rugby union team based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was formed in 1989 after the dispanding of Kenya Breweries RFC when the main sponsor Kenya Breweries, pulled out. That year they joined the Kenya Cup. Their first match was against Impala RFC whom they beat...

    )
  • Charles Kanyi (Nondescripts RFC
    Nondescripts RFC
    Nondescripts Rugby Football Club is a Kenyan rugby club based in Nairobi. The club is the oldest in Kenya, and was founded in 1923 after the splitting of the Nairobi rugby club. The club 1st XV compete in the Kenya Cup, while the 2nd XV compete in the Eric Shirley Shield...

    )
  • David Ambunya (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Naftaly Bondo (Kenya Harlequins
    Kenya Harlequins
    The Kenya Harlequin Football Club is a Kenyan rugby union team who play at the top level of Kenyan rugby, they are holders of the 2010 Kenya Cup and 2010 Enterprise Cup. Harlequin players make up the vast majority of the 2011 Kenya national rugby union team...

    )
  • Ronnie Mwenesi (Omundu)(Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
    Kenya Commercial Bank Rugby Football Club, is a Rugby union team based in Nairobi, Kenya. It was formed in 1989 after the dispanding of Kenya Breweries RFC when the main sponsor Kenya Breweries, pulled out. That year they joined the Kenya Cup. Their first match was against Impala RFC whom they beat...

    )

Notable players

  • African Leopards Representatives
    • Innocent Simiyu (versus South African Students 2005 and British Army Senior XV 2006)
    • Dan Weku (versus British Army Senior2006 XV and French Under 20 2007)
    • Derrick Wamalwa (versus French Under 20 2007)

External links

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