2023-09-21 14:56:32
He was not short of encouragement, the Toulouse Stadium, this September 15 during the demonstration of the New Zealanders against their opponents of the day: « Namibia, Namibia! », chanted the stands, barely did the African players enter the 22 meters of the All Blacks. In vain: the Namibians conceded 11 tries (71-3 in the end), once again revealing their limits.
The XV of France this Thursday, September 21 should therefore avoid fears. Namibia is, however, a regular, invited for the seventh time to the global banquet. A qualification won during the last African Cup of 2022, a trophy that the country has won continuously since 2014.
Because this is how rugby progresses in Africa, far, very far from the standards of the South African ogre who has not participated in the main continental competition for a long time. Namibia reigns in his absence, but is not progressing at the world level. And behind it, the competition is pushing as best it can: very slowly.
Still a lack of resources
The only novelty in recent years has come from Algeria, third in the last African Cup, a nice move for a rugby nation admitted to the oval family only in 2021. Algeria is reaping the fruits of a lot of structuring work initiated since its creation in 2016 by the Algerian Rugby Federation, based on a selection of numerous binational players playing in France. But its breakthrough, which must now be confirmed, implicitly reveals the weaknesses of a continental oval that is still fallow.
“However, contrary to the widespread cliché, rugby does indeed exist in certain countries, but still faces a blatant lack of infrastructure, but also of educators and supervisorsobserves Céline Gilquin, head of the social link division of the French Development Agency (AFD), which today finances around fifteen rugby projects out of the approximately 160 that the agency supports in the sporting field. However, federations and associations are very demanding, particularly to help women’s practice, combined with work to emancipate young girls. »
Rub shoulders more often with big teams
The Rugby Africa confederation (37 members) supports this social vocation as strongly as its two other priorities: strengthening the high level and providing infrastructure for rugby, most of the continent’s federations do not have dedicated stadiums. But to achieve these objectives, its new president elected in the spring of 2023, the Ghanaian Herbert Mensah, is first in search of visibility for his sport, which involves more matches against key nations.
“In Africa, our national teams play a big match a year perhaps, or even every two yearsexplained Herbert Mensah in an interview with RFI before the World Cup. We are therefore launching this appeal to the major rugby countries: allow African countries to play in bigger competitions! »
Without this solidarity, African rugby is reduced to moving forward slowly, as in Madagascar, driven by a real enthusiasm for the game, but completely apart. “Rugby, introduced to the island by the French military in the 1920s, remains today the leading team athletic sport, practiced especially in working-class neighborhoods and around the capital Antananarivosays Fabien Bordelès, archivist at the Overseas National Archives and rugby historian (1). However, the national XV does not emerge on the international scene, the ambient poverty not being without consequences on the physique of the players, less strong than their rivals. »
Like other federations elsewhere on the continent, the Malagasy Federation (150,000 members) is therefore concentrating its miserable resources on rugby sevens, and in particular on girls, vice-champions of Africa in 2022, with the hope of qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. “In Madagascar, we are far from the World Cup, but the passion is nevertheless inexhaustible, concludes Fabien Bordelès. In this country, we celebrate another rugby, and it’s also magnificent. »
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