This past Friday, we were treated to a rare spectacle at the RFUEA grounds, as the Kenya XVs Lionesses steamrolled their Malagasy counterparts, 63-19 in a warm-up test before the latter’s trip to Dubai for their WXV 3 campaign.
In many ways, it was a case of what could have been for the Lionesses, who failed to qualify for the WXV3 in May of this year, losing 22-29 to the same opposition at the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup. During the same time, the 7s Lionesses were chasing core status at the Sevens Challenger in Krakow, Poland, meaning we couldn’t field a full-strength XV side for the African title charge.
While I think that situation could have been handled better, it is now water under the bridge, and on the bright side, we have exposed more players to test-level rugby which should be good in the long run.
In general, the women’s game in Kenya has been on an upward trajectory, the local fifteens league has grown to feature 8 teams now from the traditional four, who had been playing in the 10s format. The just concluded sevens season saw a record 12 sides participate at the Prinsloo sevens.
The introduction of girls’ rugby at the school games and the addition of ladies’ sides from Quins, NYS, AP, and Kisumu Ground Shakers, who recently won the Betika na Community Nyanza edition, will go a long way in increasing the game’s reach and unearthing new talent.
However, more needs to be done and fast, if we are to realise the full potential of the ladies’ game in Kenya. Firstly, the women are our best shot at playing in an XVs World Cup and transform the fortunes of our entire rugby ecosystem.
The clubs especially, offer great platforms for partners to create lasting impact throughout the calendar year both on and off the pitch.
I’d summarise the areas that need immediate attention: talent identification, talent pathway, exposure and resource mobilization.
Talent identification and pathway complement each other, with the introduction of girl’s rugby to the school games calendar alongside the various age grade programs around the country, we have a great platform to identify talent early and develop through club level to national team level.
Another part of the pathway is to develop proper coaching and training programs at club level, ensuring players get the right training to mold them into National team players. Exposure means getting more playing opportunities for the national teams, this year for example, the XVs were lucky to get the Madagascar game with only a test against Uganda on the cards, the 7s will probably do Safari 7s before heading to the Challenger series.
All these buzzwords need one thing, resources. Women’s rugby is a gold mine for any potential investor, it offers a unique platform to not only impact the sport, but the livelihoods of many communities. An opportunity to become the driving force behind the success story that is women’s rugby in the country.
The clubs especially, offer great platforms for partners to create lasting impact throughout the calendar year both on and off the pitch.
For resources to trickle into the game, we have to get more people following the women’s game. This should be one of the easiest tasks to achieve. We need to place the women’s game in front of fans, the quality is there as we have seen, and the rest sorts itself.
The women’s league fixtures, for example, should make the games easily accessible for fans to follow, not placing fixtures in competition with the men’s league. Should we go back to Sunday fixtures? Spread calendars to have dedicated women’s weekends?
Finally, this is a rallying call to all, let’s do more for women’s rugby, a guaranteed success story that we cannot afford to miss!
KWISHA… Nimeruka Nje!!
