Rugby
‘Bendel’ qualify for rugby event of National Youth Games
Delta State male rugby team and Edo State female rugby teams have qualified from the South South Zonal elimination played in Asaba over the weekend in preparation for the National Youth Games coming up Ilorin early next month.
According to ‘Mr Rugby’ Obong Ntiense Williams, who coordinated the rugby qualifiers for the zone, “three states contested for the South South zonal elimination for Rugby 7’s event: namely Delta, Rivers and Edo State. Unfortunately Akwa Ibom State dropped their Rugby team on departure and Bayelsa couldn’t feature their U15’s this time around.”
Continuing, he said: “The teams played a round robin games in the male rugby 7’s event. Delta State won two matches against Rivers and Edo respectively, thus accumulating eight points.
“Edo State playing with only six players came second by winning a match against Rivers 3-0 and lost one to Delta 28 to 10 points, thus accumulated four points.
“Rivers came third after losing both matches, but had one bonus point when they lost to Edo within seven points.
The Female 7’s event had only two teams Edo and Delta registered as Rivers didn’t come with their Female Rugby team. Both team played two matches between themselves. They drew in the first match by 10 points a piece and Edo went on to defeat Delta in the Second Match by 17 points to 7 points.
After all the matches, Delta State won the Male Event and Edo State won the Female event and will both represent the Zone early next month for the main National Youth Games in Ilorin.
Meanwhile, the students of St Patrick School where the matches were played trooped out to catch a glimpse of this exciting and beautiful game. They ended up asking for a Coach and will be producing some of the next National Youth Game U15 Rugby Players for Delta State.
In other Zonal Qualifiers, Lagos State will be representing the South West Zone in both Male and Female events, while in the South East Zonal elimination that took place in Ebonyin State, Abia State Male and Anambra State Female teams have qualified to represent the Zone in Ilorin.
In the other Zonal Qualifiers in the North East, Bauchi State will be representing the zone with a Male Rugby Team, while, Kano State will represent the North West Zone in both the Male & Female events. Kwara State completes the North Central zonal representative.
According to Obong Ntiense Williams, “I am so happy that our hard work of introducing Rugby around the country is paying off because, for the first time, we have teams from all the six Geo-Political Zones being represented in the Rugby event.
“This is a product of inclusiveness in the mainstream of sports in Nigeria and a fall out from the just completed 20th National Sports Festival held in Edo State earlier this year, where Rugby returned as a scoring event, thus generating the much needed interest from the states which has resulted in positive Rugby development across the Country.”
The Rugby Federation will like to sincerely thank all the states that have featured Rugby at the respective Teams Sports Zonal Eliminations across the Nation over this weekend and look forward to seeing them all in Ilorin for the main event which will take place from 10 – 19 October 2021.
Rugby
Edo Sports Boss Bids Farewell to Five Players Invited to Nigeria’s Rugby Camp Ahead of World Series in Canada
Chairman of the Edo State Sports Commission, Amadin Desmond Enabulele, has sent off five female rugby players from Team Edo who have earned national team invitations ahead of the World Rugby League Series scheduled to hold in Canada from October 17 to 27, 2025.
In a statement issued by his Media Officer, Edoko Wilson Edoko, Enabulele congratulated the athletes for their outstanding performances and dedication to the sport, describing their call-up as further evidence of Edo State’s growing influence in Nigerian rugby.
“I wholeheartedly applaud Abba Chinaza, Precious Ukwuoma, Success Iyoha, Becky Okitikpe, and Vera Akhihero of Team Edo for their dedication and determination to the game of rugby,” Enabulele said.
The players were formally presented to the Commission’s Chairman by the Head Coach of Edo State Rugby Team, Obong Ntiense Williams.
Enabulele hailed their achievement as “a monumental milestone for Edo State and for Nigeria,” urging the athletes to be worthy ambassadors of both the state and the nation as they prepare to compete on the world stage.
He also commended Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, for providing the enabling environment that has allowed sports to flourish across the state.
Edo’s women’s rugby team currently holds back-to-back national 7s titles, while the state’s U-15 girls’ side recently clinched gold at the National Youth Games in Asaba, edging Delta State 7–5 in a tense final.
The five Edo players will now join Nigeria’s extended women’s rugby squad, which includes a blend of homegrown stars and international heritage players.
Confirmed among the overseas contingent are Aminah Oluwabunmi (London Broncos, UK), Catherine Akeje (Oran Park Gregory Hills Chargers, Australia), Adeola King (Ottawa Tigers, Canada), Favour Irimagha (Sheffield Eagles, UK), Annique Omodiagbe (Wests Tigers, Australia), and Faustina Akeje, a heritage player currently unattached.
If Nigeria performs successfully at the Canada series, the team will book a historic qualification for the 2026 Women’s Rugby League World Cup in Australia.
Meanwhile, the Vice Chairman of the Nigeria Rugby League Federation, Ade Adebisi, disclosed that two other Nigerian players are already making strides abroad. Rachel Iliya is currently training with Bradford Bulls in the United Kingdom, while Edo-born Blessing Aladeyelu is finalising travel arrangements to join Wakefield Trinity next month.
Adebisi noted that these international breakthroughs underscore the rapid progress of Nigerian women’s rugby and highlight Edo State’s growing reputation as a breeding ground for world-class talent.
“This is a landmark moment for Edo State and Nigeria,” Enabulele remarked, “and we are confident our girls will make us proud on the global stage.”
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Rugby
Rugby player of Nigerian roots, Itoje, becomes first black to captain British and Irish Lions in 137 years
Maro Itoje, who was born to Nigerian parents in Camden, North London, has been named the captain of the British and Irish Lions that will be on tour in Australia.
He remarked that he was “deeply honoured and humbled” after being appointed captain of the British and Irish Lions.
The 30-year-old Saracens lock becomes the 47th Lions captain since 1888, the first Black player to captain the side, and only the third Englishman in the last 89 years to be appointed tour leader.
“I will do my best to do the role justice. I am very much looking forward to the challenge ahead, it’s going to be a great tour,” he said
“I know the appetite amongst the players is extremely high, everyone is hungry to be a Lion, and I can’t wait to play my role.”
One of the few sure test starters, Itoje will be embarking on his third Lions tour after being selected as the youngest player in New Zealand in 2017 and playing a standout role in South Africa in 2021.
Appointed England captain in place of Jamie George in January, Itoje led his country to second place in this year’s Six Nations Championship with four wins in a row.
The first Englishman to lead the Lions since Martin Johnson 24 years ago, also in Australia, and only the second in the professional era, the London-born son of Nigerian parents was the obvious choice after Ireland captain Caelan Doris suffered a shoulder injury.
Doris was not named in the 38-man squad and is expected to require surgery.
Itoje said he received an unidentified call on his mobile from an Irish number after club training on Tuesday, a bit of a giveaway since Lions head coach Andy Farrell is also the coach of Ireland.
Even though the line was crackling, and he did not have Farrell’s number saved, he recognised the coach’s Wigan accent. Then the line went dead.
“I put the phone down, and then it’s gone, isn’t it? He knows something’s brewing,” laughed Farrell. “So, I rang him back and I went ‘Oh, by the way, would you like to be British and Irish Lions captain?’.
Itoje had dinner in London on Wednesday with some of the past captains, and he said their passion and appreciation shone through.
“It was amazing. It’s a brotherhood, it’s a unique club, and to spend time with them, for them to show the love and care and appreciation that they still have for the Lions. It was absolutely amazing to be a part of that.
“It’s our responsibility now to take it forward and to make sure the Lions continues to be in an elevated position.”
Itoje showed he was captain material from an early age, leading the England Under-20s to Junior World Cup triumph in 2014, even though he became Saracens captain only this season and former coach Eddie Jones had declared him too “inward looking”.
Itoje disagreed with that assessment and has gone on to prove it wrong, while Jones was shown the exit in 2022.
“He has thrived on the England captaincy. He played really well in the Six Nations, but he has played even better for us since then,” Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall told the Guardian this week.
“Maro has absolutely thrived on all of that leadership,” he added. “Maro is very much a leader by what he does and how consistent he is.”
The Lions have a game against Argentina in Dublin on June 20. They will have five tour games before the first test in Brisbane on July 19. The second and third tests are on July 26 and August 2.
-Reuters
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Rugby players are celebrating the return of the sport to the National Sports Festival and will thus be one of the disciplines at the Edo State Sports Festival which is coming up from 22nd to 30th of April 2025 at Benin City.
Rugby is one of the 29 sports approved by the organizing committee of the 4th edition of the Edo State Sports Festival.
The disciplines are: Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Chess, Cycling, Gymnastics, Handball, Hockey, Para Athletics, Taekwondo, Tennis, Abula, Ayo, Volleyball, Beach Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Deaf Athletics, Karate, Scrabble, Swimming, Dart, Kung-fu, Kickboxing, Table Tennis, Judo, Football and Rugby.
Rugby was previously excluded but the position has changed to encourage Rugby which is very popular in Edo State.
At the National Sports Festival of 2022 in Edo State, rugby was a scoring event. That was 10 years since its absence after featuring last at the Kada Games in 2009 in Kaduna State.
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