Uganda to host 2017 Africa Rugby Sevens

Uganda will host the Africa Rugby Sevens Championship slated for October 6-7, a sports official said here on Thursday.

Razmy Olinga, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Rugby Union told Xinhua news agency that the event will also act as a qualifier for the 2018 World Cup to be held in San Francisco, United States.

He said the best two teams at the Africa Sevens will qualify for the World Cup.

South Africa and Kenya are the African teams that have already booked slots at next year's World Cup because they reached the quarter final stage at the last World Cup event.

Uganda's national team, Rugby Cranes, handled by former Kenyan international Tolbert Onyango are the defending champions of the Africa Sevens after they beat Namibia in the finals last year.

The tournament winner and the losing finalist will also have a chance to appear at the Hong Kong Sevens in the HSBC World Sevens Series qualifiers.

The winner also earns an invitation to the Dubai Sevens and Cape Town Sevens.

Hosts Uganda, Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Tunisia, Morocco, Senegal, Botswana, Zambia, Ghana and Namibia will take part in the tournament.

--IANS

gau/bg