By Obong Ntiense Williams
Tunis, Tunisia – 8 May 2026 – Tunisia’s women’s rugby team opened the African Rugby Women Cup Division 1 with a commanding 85-0 victory over Côte d’Ivoire at Menzah Stadium in Tunis.
The three-nation West & North Africa Championship continues on 12 May with Morocco facing Côte d’Ivoire, and concludes on 16 May when hosts Tunisia meet Morocco to determine the division winner.
The result has reignited questions about Nigeria’s absence from the regional competition.
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Where is Nigeria?
Nigeria featured in the inaugural North & West African Women’s Rugby Tournament in Ghana in 2009, which Tunisia also won. In that round-robin event, Nigeria defeated both Ghana and Egypt before losing 22-5 to a Tunisian side returning from the Hong Kong Sevens Rugby Tournament. Notably, Nigeria was the only team to score against Tunisia in that tournament.
Since then, Nigeria’s presence in mainstream African women’s rugby has declined. At the 2024 All Africa Games in Ghana, the national women’s rugby team lost all group matches, including to Ghana—a nation Nigeria supported in developing its rugby program in 2008.
Growth Interrupted
Women’s rugby in Nigeria began in 2003 at Young Lions Rugby Football Club, based at the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos, under the titulage of Obong Ntiense Williams, popularly known as “Mr Rugby.” The sport spread to Ajegunle with Eco II RFC and Hawkstars RFC, then to Edo and Delta States towards the 2006 Gateway Games, and later to clubs in Kaduna, Jos, Zaria, Kano, Niger, Benue, Abuja, Abia, Imo, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Cross River, Bayelsa, Osun, Ogun, and Kwara. Teams from these states have competed in the National Championship and National Sports Festival respectively.
The first national women’s rugby tournament was hosted by Friends of Rugby during Nigeria’s 50th Independence celebrations, 1–3 October 2010, at the National Stadium, Surulere. When rugby became a scoring event at the National Sports Festival, Edo State won all three gold medals at the Gateway Games, while Delta State claimed two of three Gold medals at the 2009 Kada Games.
At the National Youth Games, Edo State girls have remained champions in every edition attended, while Kano State dominates the U15 boys’ category.
Rugby League Shows a Different Path
Nigeria’s women’s Rugby League team, the Green Falcons, has achieved greater continental and global success. The side has beaten Ghana home and away and qualified for the Rugby League World Series held in Canada, where it defeated Ireland and lost narrowly to Fiji in the final. The team narrowly missed qualification for this year’s Rugby League World Cup. But is a household name in Africa.
Setback at the National Sports Festival
Advocates say progress is being undermined by the omission of rugby from the forthcoming National Sports Festival in Enugu State even as Rugby alongside other Olympic team sports such as handball, hockey, and volleyball are missing.
At the last edition in Ogun State, the Director General of the National Sports Commission Hon.Bukola Olopade attempted to include rugby, but state Directors of Sports removed it on technical grounds, citing missed pre-festival team sports eliminations.
