A BRIEF HISTORY OF NIGERIA RUGBY
PREFACE
Founded in 1998, the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation is an affiliate of the Nigeria Olympic Committee and operates under the oversight of Rugby Africa and World Rugby. Headquartered in Abuja, the NRFF is the custodian of Rugby in Nigeria and administers Rugby Nationwide.
Nigeria rose to being a full member of World Rugby in 2001.
Nigeria rose to being a full member of World Rugby in 2001.
The NRFFis responsible for the development of programs to define Rugby pathways from “grass root”, level to elite and high performance level.
Rugby Union was first introduced in Nigeria by the British miners in the 1950’s. The miners were based in Jos and they would travel to Zaria and Kaduna town to play test games.
For many years, the game was dominated by white settlers and expatriates, and to an extent, the expatriate oil workers still play there. Rugby union in Nigeria is a minor but growing sport. We are currently ranked 70th in the world by World Rugby (28 April 2022) Our previous ranking was 73rd in the world prior to the 2019 Africa Cup
A number of Nigerian people have emigrated to the UK, and there is a London Nigerian Rugby Club.
Also, a number of notable England players who were born or raised in Nigeria includes the following;
Adedayo Adebayo (Won the 7s World Cup with England in 1993)
Ayoola Erinle
Steve Ojomoh
Victor Ubogu
Topsy Ojo
Chris Oti
Marcus Watson
Andrew Harriman
Maro Itoje and Anthony Watson who currently play for England are also of Nigerian background.
With a population of over 200 million, if properly harnessed, Nigeria powerhouse World Rugby based on our strength, speed and natural built. This is evident in the number of Nigerians excelling in the sport playing for England, Ireland, and Canada etc.
For many years, the game was dominated by white settlers and expatriates, and to an extent, the expatriate oil workers still play there. Rugby union in Nigeria is a minor but growing sport. We are currently ranked 70th in the world by World Rugby (28 April 2022) Our previous ranking was 73rd in the world prior to the 2019 Africa Cup
A number of Nigerian people have emigrated to the UK, and there is a London Nigerian Rugby Club.
Also, a number of notable England players who were born or raised in Nigeria includes the following;
Adedayo Adebayo (Won the 7s World Cup with England in 1993)
Ayoola Erinle
Steve Ojomoh
Victor Ubogu
Topsy Ojo
Chris Oti
Marcus Watson
Andrew Harriman
Maro Itoje and Anthony Watson who currently play for England are also of Nigerian background.
With a population of over 200 million, if properly harnessed, Nigeria powerhouse World Rugby based on our strength, speed and natural built. This is evident in the number of Nigerians excelling in the sport playing for England, Ireland, and Canada etc.