Tag rugby will be introduced at the national primary school championships in Nakuru in July, Kenya Rugby Union development officer Ronald Okoth has revealed.
The initiative will involve boys’ and girls’ teams.
Tag rugby is a non-contact version in which players wear a special belt with two tags attached.
Instead of being tackled, a player carrying the ball can be ‘tagged’ by having an opponent remove a tag from their belt.
The initiative seeks to popularise the game at the primary school level.
“We want as many primary schools as possible to take up the sport as an introduction to rugby. It is simple. We had a successful pilot programme across nine rugby-playing regions,” said Okoth.
Tag rugby can be played anywhere.
“It can be played anywhere which means more kids will play due to its simplicity,” he added.
Development of rugby at an age-grade level will propel the country to greater heights.
“The biggest headache is starting our rugby development late… in high school targeting students aged 14 -16. If this initiative is successful will have kids joining high school with basic knowledge of the game as well as tactical skills,” said Okoth.
Meanwhile, Kenya Rugby Union chairman Alexander Mutai, who anchored his campaign manifesto on taking the game to primary schools, wants to keep his word.
“It’s long overdue (having the rugby in primary schools). The game needs to be played by seven to 10-year-olds, creating a pathway to high school rugby,” said Mutai.
“I am confident our engagement with the Ministry of Education will help the game and we will see tangible results.”
And since there’s no girls’ rugby in the secondary school sports, all the nine Kenya Rugby Union regions have been tasked with sending girls’ teams to the national school games in Machakos next month.
Nairobi will send three teams, Rift Valley (4), Nyanza (6), Eastern (6) and Coast (2).
