Nigeria men’s rugby team qualify for 2024 Olympics qualifying series

Nigeria, yesterday, qualified for the final round of the qualifying series for the Paris 2024 Olympics rugby event following their second position at the pre-Olympics Championship held in Mauritius at the weekend.

The team, also known as Black Stallions, beat Ghana, Burundi and DR Congo to win their group and play in the semifinal against Cote d’Ivoire, which they also won. They, however, fell to the superior firepower of Algeria, who won the final by 20 tries to five. The defeat notwithstanding, the Black Stallions still qualified for the Africa Cup of Sevens Championship slated to hold from September 16 to 17, 2023, in Zimbabwe.

Algeria and Cote d’Ivoire also qualified for the final leg of the Olympics qualifying series.

The elated Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) delegation, led by Coach Steve Lewis, said the feat in Mauritius was, particularly, thrilling, as it marked a successful return to the international scene after the ban on the country was lifted this year. Nigeria’s co-captain, Declan Nwachukwu, won the highest try scorer award at the championship.