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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Ahead of the kickoff of the Africa Rugby Sevens tournament in Mauritius, the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) (www.NigeriaRugby.org) has taken a significant step in repositioning rugby in the country by signing a three-year partnership deal with Flovale Consulting.
The partnership will enable Flovale Consulting to create a dedicated channel and focus efforts on making rugby one of the most popular sports in Nigeria, while also promoting the development of both body and mind. This collaboration aims to lay a strong foundation for the future growth of Nigerian rugby.
“We are passionate about developing rugby as a government agency responsible for the promotion and development of the game in Nigeria,” said NRFF President Dr. Ademola Are. “This partnership will advance rugby in Nigeria through a unified plan that benefits all levels of the game, from community and professional rugby clubs to unions, regions, commercial partners, and fans. Everyone has a role to play.”
The partnership focuses on growing rugby participation, increasing fan engagement, and supporting players at all stages of their careers.
It reflects the NRFF’s ambitions for development and growth, addressing societal issues and values.
The collaboration will create development programs and age-appropriate training structures, ensuring junior players can develop their skills and passion for rugby in a fun and safe environment.
Volunteers and players will be actively supported to fully enjoy their time in the sport.
“We aim to help players reach their full potential and remain involved in rugby into adulthood, whether playing for unions or clubs. Delivering this strategy with our clubs, schools, partner organizations, and commercial partners will ensure that rugby in Nigeria continues to thrive,” said Opeoluwa Runsewe, CEO of Flovale.
Runsewe added, “As a corporate partner, Flovale Consulting is committed to driving growth and success both locally and globally. With careful planning and innovative strategies, this partnership is set to elevate rugby, foster financial stability, and achieve significant milestones.”
“We are excited about this partnership with Flovale. Collaborations such as this will foster the development of rugby in Nigeria,” concluded Dr. Ademola Are, NRFF President.
The fourth edition of the Edo State Schools Rugby Tournament is set to begin on Friday 1st December 2023 at the home of Rugby in Edo State.
According to Obong Ntiense Williams a head coach, Ehibam Griefshare Foundation will be hosting the tournament at Edo Boys High School, in Benin City from 10am – 4pm.
The Foundation has over the last five years partnered with the Edo State Rugby Association in the Ehibam Schools Rugby Tournament.
According to the initiator Pastor Dupe Irele, “We had a return to the field after the disruption caused by the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, As such, to revive the program.
“The Ehibam Griefshare Foundation decided to help provide the basic Rugby Equipment (Rugby Balls) to kick start the program after the pandemic in 2021 and a subsequent tournament last year”.
Said She, “The Rugby Balls Presentation Ceremony was the Foundation’s way of reassuring the future of the program with its continued support and partnership in its activities going forward. The Ehibam Schools Rugby Program was launched in 2018 to encourage the sport of rugby among the young boys and girls from both primary and secondary schools in Edo State”.
Pastor Dupe continued, “The wind behind the sail of the foundation is Late Ehisieme Alonge who was an ardent Rugby Player in the United Kingdom who spent a lot of time nurturing the young children in the beautiful game of Rugby. To this end we look forward to the Ehibam Schools Rugby Invitational Tournament this year on the actual birthday of Late Ehisieme Alonge who passed on in the United Kingdom at the age of 35, on the 10th June 2015”.
The foundation, with the push of the Edo State Head Coach and workaholic Ntiense Williams popularly know as “Mr Rugby” and his hardworking team of Coaches will this year be organising an invitational 4 female and 4 male teams Championship.
We remain keen in our desire to work closely with the Rugby Association and by extension the Edo State Sports Commission in the development of Rugby as a sports for the social and physical promotion of the welfare of students in Edo State.
The vision of Ehibam Griefshare Foundation is to provide a helping hand to those in grief/mourning and help them to a “New Normal” life.
According to Dupe, “In his lifetime, Ehisieme was an ardent Rugby player and devoted his time to training children in the game. It is in fulfilment and continuation of this passion that the Foundation decided, at the persistence of Mr Ntense Williams “Mr Rugby” an ardent lover of the game, to partner with the Edo State Rugby Association in developing the game of Rugby in Schools”.
The Foundation is therefore proud to be associated with this project in memory of our son Ehisieme.
According the Organiser of the event Ntiense Williams, “This tournament has greatly assisted Edo State to be a National Champion in Youth Games Rugby events and in extension the Open Championship as well, like the recently completed National Women Sevens Rugby Tournament which Edo State Female Team won in grand style and made history as the only team to have played and won all games without conceding a defeat or any point against!”
Said he, “We will like to sincerely thank EHIBAM GRIEFSHARE Foundation for keeping faith with the development of School’s Rugby in Edo State. There will be two floating trophies for the winning teams of both boys & girls team. There will also be Medals for the best 3 teams in both boys & girls categories and there will be two prizes for the MVP and Highest Try Scorers to celebrate the occasion.”
PREVIOUS WINNERS
* Emotan College & Asoro / Correctional Staff School (LAUNCHING) – 2018
* Emotan College & Correctional Staff School – 2019
* COVID 19 PREVENTED THE TOURNAMENT in 2020
* REVIVED THE PROJECT WITH DONATION OF RUGBY BALLS – 2021
* Idia College & Iyekogba Grammer School – 2022
Here is wishing all of us a great injury free tournament.
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