The 2017 Rugby Africa season contains a series of rugby union tournaments scheduled for 2017 and organised by the governing body of rugby union in Africa, Rugby Africa. The top-tier event is the Rugby Africa Gold Cup – formerly simply known as the Africa Cup – a six-team competition which was played on a round-robin basis from June to August 2017.
As in previous Africa Cup seasons, all participating teams were divided into multiple tiers. For 2017, a restructuring and subsequent rebranding occurred as follows:[1]
In addition to the main fifteens tournaments, an Under-20 competition featuring eight teams was held in April and a rugby sevens tournament involving twelve teams was held in November. A women's rugby sevens tournament is also to be scheduled.
The following teams will take part in the 2017 Rugby Africa season.
Rankings are taken from the start of each division[3]
Gold Cup | Silver Cup | Bronze Cup | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
North | South | ||||||||||
Team | 2016 position | WR Rank | Team | 2016 position | WR Rank | Team | 2016 position | WR Rank | Team | 2016 position | WR Rank |
2nd D1A | 25 | 5th D1B | 64 | N/A | N/A | 3rd D1C | 89 | ||||
1st D1A | 21 | 4th D1B | 53 | N/A | 90 | 2nd D2 East | 96 | ||||
1st D1B | 39 | 3rd D1B | 45 | 2nd D1C | 74 | 6th D1B | 83 | ||||
2nd D1B | 49 | 1st D1C | 50 | ||||||||
3rd D1A | 45 | ||||||||||
4th D1A | 36 | ||||||||||
Regional Challenge | |||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
West 1 | West 2 | Centre | South | ||||||||
Team | 2016 position | WR Rank | Team | 2016 position | WR Rank | Team | 2016 position | WR Rank | Team | 2016 position | WR Rank |
5th D2 West | N/A | 6th D2 West | N/A | 4th D2 East | N/A | 3rd D2 East | N/A | ||||
3rd D2 West | N/A | 1st D2 West | N/A | 1st D2 East | N/A | N/A | N/A | ||||
2nd D2 West | N/A | 4th D2 West | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 91 | ||||
2017 Rugby Africa Gold Cup | |
Countries: | |
Date: | 24 June – 5 August 2017 |
Prevseason: | 2016 |
Nextseason: | 2018 |
The 2017 Gold Cup doubles as qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. The last place team will be relegated to the 2018 Silver Cup and eliminated from World Cup qualification.[4]
The final standings[5] in the 2017 Rugby Africa Gold Cup were:
2017 Rugby Africa Gold Cup | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts< | -- | Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts--> |
1 | align=left | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 272 | 64 | +208 | 5 | 25 | ||||||||||||
2 | align=left | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 226 | 135 | +91 | 4 | 18 | ||||||||||||
3 | align=left | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 190 | 126 | +64 | 2 | 16 | ||||||||||||
4 | align=left | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 91 | 272 | −181 | 0 | 8 | ||||||||||||
5 | align=left | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 111 | 157 | −46 | 2 | 6 | ||||||||||||
6 | align=left | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 75 | 211 | −136 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
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The following matches were played in the 2017 Rugby Africa Gold Cup:
2017 Rugby Africa Silver Cup | |
Countries: | |
Date: | 5 – 8 July 2017 |
Prevseason: | 2016 |
Nextseason: | 2018 |
The 2017 Silver Cup doubles as qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup. Winner gets promoted to the 2018 Gold Cup, while all other teams will be eliminated from World Cup qualification.
2017 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup | |
Countries: | Group North: (suspended) (withdrew) Group South: |
Date: | 23 April – 13 May 2017 |
Prevseason: | 2016 |
Nextseason: | 2018 |
Cameroon were suspended and Nigeria withdrew. Algeria finished first.
The final standings in the 2017 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup Group North were:
2017 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup Group North | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts< | -- | Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts--> |
1 | align=left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
2 | align=left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
|
The Bronze Cup North fixtures were originally to be played in Yaoundé in May 2017, with Cameroon also present, but had been postponed through lack of organization that Rugby Africa disqualified Cameroon and suspended the activity of the country's federation for three months.[6] The matches will now be a home-and-home series between Algeria and Nigeria, with dates to be determined.
Nigeria also withdrew, so Algeria face Zambia in a one off fixture on 4 November.
The final standings in the 2017 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup Group South were:
2017 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup Group South | ||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts< | -- | Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | BP | Pts--> |
1 | align=left | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 161 | 6 | +155 | 2 | 10 | ||||||||||||
2 | align=left | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 27 | 104 | −77 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||||||
3 | align=left | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 93 | −78 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||
|
2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge | |
Countries: | Group West 1: Group West 2: Group Centre: Group South: |
Date: | 30 April – 22 October 2017 |
Prevseason: | 2016 |
Nextseason: | 2018 |
The final standings in the 2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge Group West 1 were:
2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge Group West 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts< | -- | Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts--> |
1 | align=left | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 5 | +51 | 9 | |||||||||||
2 | align=left | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 19 | 58 | −39 | 4 | |||||||||||
3 | align=left | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 24 | −12 | 1 | |||||||||||
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All matches will be held at Accra Sports Stadium, Accra, Ghana.[7]
The final standings in the 2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge Group West 2 were:
2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge Group West 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts< | -- | Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts--> |
1 | align=left | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 24 | 18 | +6 | 6 | |||||||||||
3 | align=left | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 19 | +7 | 5 | |||||||||||
2 | align=left | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 28 | −13 | 2 | |||||||||||
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Gabon was originally intended to participate, but withdrew.[8] The match between Burundi and DR Congo was to be played on 7 October in Bujumbura, Burundi, but with DR Congo not showing up for the match, the match was declared forfeit and DR Congo faced the possibility of suspension.[9]
The final standings in the 2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge Group South were:
2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge Group South | ||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pos | Team | Pl | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts< | -- | Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | Pts--> |
1 | align=left | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 127 | 8 | 119 | 10 | |||||||||||
2 | align=left | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 30 | 71 | −41 | 5 | |||||||||||
3 | align=left | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 92 | −78 | 0 | |||||||||||
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The fixtures for the 2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge Group South will be played from 15–21 October in Mafeteng, Lesotho.