Rugby Africa president on how the continent can bridge widening gap in the sport

© Afrosports

RUGBY Rugby Africa president on how the continent can bridge widening gap in the sport

Abigael Wafula 05:00 - 31.07.2023

He noted that the committee has started with reviewing the constitution before doing anything else.

Rugby Africa president Herbert Mensah is longing for days when the sport in Africa will match up to the standards of other continents where it is taken seriously.

Speaking on KBC Sport, Mensah disclosed that he joined the office when things were not in order and he has insisted that he wants to change the narrative and show the world that Africa is the home of talent.

He revealed that he wants to make a change in the years he will be in office and plans are already underway to ensure his dream comes true. He noted that the committee has started with reviewing the constitution before doing anything else.

We don’t want committees that are just there…we have KPIs for each one of them and they are pretty straightforward.

"We are in the transformational process of getting into structures to make sure that the right thing is done under our governance.

"There are a lot of things that have not been looked at and that’s what we are addressing at the moment,” Mensah said.

He added that there is a need to have a fundamental change if he has to take the sport far. Mensah also observed that they need to reposition themselves with World Rugby and speak out freely on budget allocations among other things and

Africa is where the talent is…the most gifted athletes in the world are Africans. We ought to bridge the gap between training, nutrition, and the process of where modern sports are going. We need to have governments and global getting involved to support us,” he added.

He added that many African players are representing other countries in other continents well and that is a sign that Africa should invest in the sport.

We need to play more test matches…other continents play around eight to 10 test matches and that’s why they are able to prosper.

"I am very passionate about the young Kenyan and Zimbabwean players and I’m sure they are going far,” he said.

Tags: