Rugby Super Series

The Rugby Super Series is East Africa’s premier fifteen a side rugby tournament. It is a landmark concept in Kenya Rugby modelled along the lines of the already successful Southern Hemisphere Super 14 Rugby Tournament.

The Rugby Super Series tournament kicked off in 2003 when it was sponsored by Unga Limited. In 2004, it was sponsored by UAP Insurance. In 2005, Bamburi Cement Limited, who had laid their foundation in 2004 by sponsoring a franchise, continued to build a solid association with Kenya rugby becoming the title sponsor, a position they retain to date having come on board as the title sponsor for the fifth year in a row and thus cementing their commitment to the development of the tournament and its goals.

The Rugby Super Series was born with a view to bringing the best rugby players in the country onto one stage in several uninterrupted weekends of top notch rugby, which would in turn make the it easy for the national selections committee to pick the national fifteens rugby team. The tournament also brings to the spot light, the long version of the game. It could then be said, and rightly so, that the main aim of the Rugby Super Series is development of the fifteens version of the game in Kenya and the wider East African region.

Rugby playing clubs are brought together into different franchises. There are currently eight franchises; Lions, Rhinos, Sharks, Cheetahs and Buffaloes from Kenya, Rwenzori and Victoria from Uganda and Twigas from Tanzania. Joint trials are held by each franchise from which the best 30 players are picked to represent the team in the tournament. It is this process that instils in players, the importance of team work. Players must now look beyond their individual clubs and play on the same side as would- be rivals. And it is through this successful merging and synchronicity that a world class tournament is staged every year.

The Rugby Super Series looks not only towards development of the clubs game, but also realises the importance of developing rugby at all levels. The Super Series includes satellite tournament which involves several other tournaments running parallel to the main attraction. Age grade rugby is on display during the tournament as is schools rugby. This gives the younger generation a chance to play the game on a national stage as they aspire to join the franchises in future. Women also take part in the satellite tournament which helps to sensitize the public on the progress of women’s rugby in Kenya particularly with the increasing rivalry between the Kenya and the Uganda women’s teams. The women’s tournament has in the past been a Kenyan clubs affair but in 2009, we look forward to engaging the Ugandan and Tanzanian women’s teams.Indeed Kenya versus Uganda women’s games have proved to be show-stoppers. The Tanzanian women’s team seems to get stronger by the day.

It is worthwhile to note that development at the Rugby Super Series does not stop on the pitch. Coaches, Team Managers and Physiotherapists also get a chance to work under the supervision of the national fifteens coach, the national fifteens team manager and the national fifteens physiotherapist so that at the end of the day, Kenya rugby can boast of having a pool of qualified and experienced personnel.
With reasonably priced food and drinks, and jumping castles, face painting and clowns to entertain the children, the Rugby Super Series provides several exciting weekends of non-stop entertainment for the entire family.