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The Kenya national Sevens Rugby team won the Team of the Year Award (Kenya)
A personal interest of mine..ofcourse..thought I would share it with the rest of you rugby-loving TWFers.
Athletics, rugby, swimming and volleyball took centre stage at Friday’s (23 Jan 2009) glamourous Safaricom Sports Personality of the Year Awards gala night held in Nairobi, Kenya
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The Kenya National Rugby Sevens team won the 2008 Team of the Year category after "a splendid performance in the IRB circuit which also saw them qualify for the World Cup in Dubai in March", while the Kenya Rugby Football Union was voted the 2008 Federation of the Year.
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The national Soccer team was literally given a handoff from ‘The Team of the Year Award’ by the fleet footed and unstoppable Kenya Sevens Rugby Team that was ranked seventh in the World last year after an awesome performance in the eight- leg IRB Sevens Circuit. The team conquered Africa once again to qualify for their third consecutive World Cup to be held this year in March.
http://twf.com.au/attachment.php?att...1&d=1233280199
[Source: various]
For those of you uninitiated, this is a major scoop for rugby in a country where football..soccer..dominates (as AFL dominates in WA or Victoria).
On another positive note for rugby in Kenya,
Kenyan Rugby set for landmark first in 2009
(IRB.COM) Sunday 4 January 2009
For the first time, in 2009, Kenya will host a 15-a-side world event on behalf of the International Rugby Board.
After the huge success of the first IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy in Chile in 2008, eight more Under 20 teams from developing rugby nations will travel to Nairobi for the second edition of the tournament in April 2009.
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The wide regional splash of teams ensures the Trophy will continue to offer a fascinating blend of culture, language and rugby tradition, while the incentive for winning could scarcely be bigger: promotion to the IRB Junior World Championship in 2010, a tournament that features all of the world's top rugby playing nations, and which was won in 2008 by New Zealand.
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"We are really delighted to have an opportunity of this nature. We want to leave nothing to chance and show that we deserve to have it," said Kenya Rugby Football Union President Richard Omwela, who is also hopeful that the event will foster closer working relationships with other sports to open up a whole new range of sporting facilities within the country.
Fastest-growing sport
With soccer's fortunes flagging in the country, Rugby is currently Kenya's fastest-growing sport - particularly amongst school children - and hosting this tournament can only further boost that status quo.
"The kids are opting to play what they see as a well-organised and entertaining sport and they are coming to Rugby as that alternative," said Omwela.
The tournament will kick off with a first round of matches on 21 April and three subsequent match days will be played on 25 April, 29 April and 3 May.
You gotta be happy with that :D:D
