Elgon Cup

Last updated
Elgon Cup
Sport Rugby union
Founded2004
No. of teams2 (men's)
2 (women's)
CountryFlag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
Most recent
champion(s)		Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya (2018) – men's
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya (2015) – women's
TV partner(s) Flag of South Africa.svg Supersport
Related
competitions		 Victoria Cup

The Elgon Cup is contested between the rugby union teams of Kenya and Uganda. The men's and women's teams of these countries each compete annually for their respective cups on a Home-and-Away basis. The competition and the cups are named after Mount Elgon, a mountain on the border of the two countries.

Rugby union Team sport, code of rugby football

Rugby union, widely known simply as rugby, is a contact team sport which originated in England in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its most common form, a game is between two teams of 15 players using an oval-shaped ball on a rectangular field with H-shaped goalposts at each end.

The Kenya National Rugby Union team is also known as the Simbas, which is the Swahili word for lion. Kenya competes in the Africa Cup and is ranked thirty-second in the World Rugby Rankings as of July 2019. Kenya is yet to qualify for the Rugby World Cup.

Uganda national rugby union team

The Uganda national rugby union team are a national sporting side of Uganda, representing them at rugby union. Rugby union was introduced by the British during colonial rule and Uganda played their first international game against Kenya in 1958. They have not yet qualified for the Rugby World Cup.

Contents

The men's competition started in 2004 while the women's Elgon Cup followed it a few years later, starting in 2006. [1] The Elgon cup has now been subsumed into the recently instituted Victoria Cup; just as the Bledisloe Cup (Australia and New Zealand), Freedom Cup (New Zealand and South Africa) and Mandela Challenge Plate (Australia and South Africa) have been subsumed into the Tri Nations and as the Calcutta Cup (England and Scotland) is now part of the Six Nations.

The Victoria Cup is a rugby union tournament contested by the four African nations of Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe as of 2019. After a seven-year hiatus, the competition was revived following Rugby Africa's cancellation of the Africa Gold Cup in 2019 due to sponsorship loss.

Bledisloe Cup

The Bledisloe Cup is a rugby union competition between the national teams of Australia and New Zealand that has been competed for since the 1930s. The frequency at which the competition has been held and the number of matches played has varied, but as of 2016, it consists of an annual three-match series, with two of the matches also counting towards The Rugby Championship. New Zealand have had the most success, winning the trophy for the 47th time in 2019, while Australia have won 12 times.

Australia national rugby union team national team representing Australia in rugby union

The Australia national rugby union team, nicknamed the Wallabies, is controlled by Rugby Australia. The team first played at Sydney in 1899, winning their first test match against the touring British Isles team.

The countries that play in the Elgon Cup Elgon Cup Countries.png
The countries that play in the Elgon Cup

Home matches for Kenya are usually played at the RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya, whilst Uganda usually play their home matches at the Kyadondo Grounds, Kampala, Uganda. The women's games generally serve as a curtain raiser to the men's games.

RFUEA Ground

The RFUEA Ground is a rugby union stadium located on the Ngong Road in Nairobi, Kenya. It was purpose built to be the home of the national team and to serve as the headquarters of the Rugby Football Union of Kenya (RFUK). Coincidentally, the RFUEA ground has another parallel with Twickenham Stadium in the United Kingdom in that it also serves as the home ground for the Kenya Harlequin Football Club, just as their sister club the London Harlequins once played at Twickenham.

Nairobi Capital city in Nairobi County, Kenya

Nairobi is the capital and the largest city of Kenya. The name comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nairobi, which translates to "cool water", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper had a population of 3,138,369 in the 2009 census, while the metropolitan area has a population of 6,547,547. The city is popularly referred to as the Green City in the Sun.

Kampala Capital city in Uganda

Kampala is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper was estimated in 2019 to have a population of 1,680,800 people and divided into five boroughs of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division,Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Rubaga Division.

History

Earliest encounters

Kenya and Uganda have a long history of rugby matches going back even before the first official match in 1958. Prior to the formation of the Rugby Football Union of Kenya (RFUK) [a] in 1921 and the Uganda Rugby Football Union (URFU) in 1955, these two territories put out representative sides though, without a governing union, they could not award caps. Games were frequently played in the early days by representative sides from Kenya and Uganda (and also Tanganyika) against each other and against touring sides most notably from Royal Naval vessels and British and South African Universities (the University of Stellenbosch, University of Cape Town, Rhodes University and the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge).

Tanganyika Country in East Africa from 1961 to 1964

Tanganyika was a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania, that existed from 1961 until 1964. It first gained independence from the United Kingdom on 9 December 1961 as a state headed by Queen Elizabeth II before becoming a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations a year later. After signing the Articles of Union on 22 April 1964 and passing an Act of Union on 25 April, Tanganyika officially joined with the People's Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar on Union Day, 26 April 1964. The new state changed its name to the United Republic of Tanzania within a year.

Royal Navy Maritime warfare branch of the United Kingdoms military

The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by the English kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against the Kingdom of France. The modern Royal Navy traces its origins to the early 16th century; the oldest of the UK's armed services, it is known as the Senior Service.

University of Cape Town university in Cape Town, South Africa

The University of Cape Town (UCT) is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College making it the oldest higher education institute in South Africa. In terms of full university status, it is jointly the oldest university in South Africa and the oldest extant university in Sub-Saharan Africa alongside Stellenbosch University which received full university status on the same day in 1918.

The very first match between Kenya and Uganda involved an incident that may well be unique in international rugby history. In the early 1930s there was only one rugby club in Uganda (the Uganda RFC, later to become "Uganda Kobs RFC" and then "Kampala Kobs RFC") and a number of Ugandan players (including Percy Minns) persuaded the Kenya clubs to send a Kenya XV to play against them in Entebbe. Unfortunately, both teams arrived with a set of white jerseys. According to long established tradition in rugby, it is the duty of the home side to change shirts in the event of a clash; about 10 miles from the clubhouse in Kampala, Uganda resorted to dying their shirts in the water-bucket on the sideline using the iodine from the medical kit. The shirts were worn wet and, according to contemporary reports, the spectators and referee had greater and greater difficulty telling the sides apart as the game progressed. Rugby is a game rooted deeply in tradition and, as a result of this incident, Ugandan representative sides wore black shirts for almost 100 years in memory of this incident. It is only recently that they have started wearing shirts that include red and orange, the other two colours present in the Ugandan flag, though the predominant colour still tends to be black.

Entebbe Place in Uganda

Entebbe is a city in Central Uganda. On a Lake Victoria peninsula, approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi) southwest of the Ugandan capital, Kampala, it was once the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda prior to independence, in 1962. Entebbe is the location of Entebbe International Airport, Uganda's largest commercial and military airport, best known for the dramatic rescue of 100 hostages kidnapped by the resistance group of the PFLP-EO and Revolutionary Cells (RZ) organizations. Entebbe is also the location of State House, the official office and residence of the President of Uganda.

The first official matches

The three African Great Lakes countries of Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have a long shared history of rugby. For much of their history, they have relied on each other for club, inter-district, inter-territorial and international matches, as well as combining their resources to create a regional squad. This has all been aided by their membership in the Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA), an umbrella union for the three nations both before and after they each achieved independence in the early 1960s. Until independence, each was regarded as a colonial possession of the British Empire rather than an independent nation.

African Great Lakes Series of lakes in the Rift Valley

The African Great Lakes are a series of lakes constituting the part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift. They include Lake Victoria, the third-largest fresh water lake in the world by area, Lake Tanganyika, the world's second-largest freshwater lake by volume and depth, and Lake Malawi, the world's eighth-largest fresh water lake by area. Collectively, they contain 31,000 km3 of water, which is more than either Lake Baikal or the North American Great Lakes. This total constitutes about 25% of the planet's unfrozen surface fresh water. The large rift lakes of Africa are the ancient home of great biodiversity, and 10% of the world's fish species live there.

East Africa rugby union team

Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playing nation in this part of the world. The team has played against incoming international, representative and club touring sides and it conducted seven tours between 1954 and 1982.

Rugby Football Union of East Africa

The Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA) is an umbrella union for the Kenya Rugby Football Union, Tanzania Rugby Football Union and Uganda Rugby Football Union. It owes its existence to the fact that, prior to independence, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda were either a protectorate or mandate of the British Empire. It now has little to do with the direct administration of the modern game but it continues to exist in order to promote and support the game in the three countries, to facilitate club competition between the three unions and to administer the RFUEA Ground and the East Africa rugby union team.

The first interterritorial match for Kenya took place in 1954 at Arusha against Tanganyika (as Tanzania was known at the time). It was held shortly before the First Tuskers Copperbelt tour later that year and served as a selection trial for the tour. This match was won by Kenya though the exact score is not known. This fixture was repeated in 1955 and 1956. With the URFU having recently been formed, it was decided to attempt a three-way competition in 1957; Uganda were to travel play Tanganyika in Arusha and Kenya were to visit Uganda in Kampala. Uganda, who were chiefly responsible for the initiative, fulfilled their commitment though the score or winner is not known. Kenya were unable to travel to play Uganda as organised due to commitments raised by the Combined Oxford and Cambridge Universities tour that year.

The first official match between Uganda and Kenya took place in 1958, when Kenya (then Kenya Colony) travelled to play Uganda (then Uganda Protectorate) in Kampala. Kenya beat Uganda by three goals and two tries to one goal, one penalty goal and one try. In 1958, a try was worth three points, so the final score was 11 – 21.

1958
Flag of the Uganda Protectorate.svg  Uganda 11 – 21 Kenya  Flag of Kenya (1921-1963).svg
Try: (2)
Con: (1)
Pen: (1)
Drop: None
Try: (5)
Con: (3)
Pen: None
Drop: None

Post Colonial Rugby

Photo of Kenya players holding the Elgon Cup Elgon Cup 2007.png
Photo of Kenya players holding the Elgon Cup

Kenya's relatively smooth transition to independence and trouble free ensuing years under President Jomo Kenyatta saw rugby continue to thrive in this country. Despite the fact that Idi Amin was a keen rugby player himself, the expulsion of expatriates from - and the general political instability in - Uganda under his reign disrupted the playing of domestic and international fixtures in Uganda. As a result, Kenya have generally had the upper-hand in this East African derby. However, in recent years the success of the Kenya 7's team has had a negative effect on the 15-a-side game as resources and focus has shifted toward the shortened version of the game. This and the recent resurgence in the Ugandan rugby club scene has seen the balance of power shift westwards.

Victoria Cup

The most recent innovation has been the Victoria Cup. This is slated to be an annual three-way competition between Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe played on a home-and-away basis. Rather than duplicate the fixture it has been decided that the pre-existing Elgon Cup games between Kenya and Uganda will take place within this new tournament. The Victoria Cup was first played in June and July 2010.

Matches between Kenya and Uganda with Elgon Cup winners

Results for men's  [2] and women's international rugby matches played between Kenya and Uganda are presented in the table below.

Results
MEN
YearDateHomeScoreAwayElgon Cup Winner
201913 JulyUganda – KenyaWinner
TBC
201922 JunKenya13 – 17Uganda
20187 JunKenya38 – 22UgandaWon by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
201826 MayUganda16 – 34Kenya
201724 JunKenya33 – 33UgandaWon by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
201710 JunUganda15 – 23Kenya
201630 JulKenya45 – 24UgandaWon by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
20164 JunUganda10 – 48Kenya
2014–2015: No matches
201310 JulUganda11 – 51KenyaNon-Elgon Cup match.
201322 JunUganda13 – 19KenyaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
201315 JunKenya16 – 17Uganda
201210 JulKenya19 – 20UgandaNon-Elgon Cup match.
201228 AprKenya12 – 0UgandaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
201221 AprUganda19 – 5Kenya
201116 JulUganda32 – 18KenyaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya [3]
20119 JulKenya27 – 10Uganda
201010 JulKenya21 – 5UgandaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
20103 JulUganda25 – 33Kenya
200929 AugUganda18 – 13KenyaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya [4]
200915 AugKenya30 – 22Uganda
200816 AugKenya39 – 20UgandaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya [5]
200824 MayUganda20 – 3Kenya
200726 SepUganda24 – 12KenyaNon-Elgon Cup match. [6]
200711 AugKenya35 – 15UgandaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya [5] [7]
200726 MayUganda29 – 10Kenya
200612 AugKenya20 – 22UgandaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda [5]
200613 MayUganda7 – 7Kenya
2005Tournament cancelled – World Cup qualifiers took precedence. [5]
200525 JunUganda5 – 8Kenya
2004 – First won by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya [5]
200431 JulKenya18 – 8Uganda
200314 JunUganda21 – 22Kenya
20025 OctKenya22 – 31Uganda
200221 JulUganda8 – 12Kenya
200129 SepKenya44 – 17Uganda
200128 JulKenya12 – 9Uganda
2000 – 
1999 – 
1998 – 
1997 – 
199723 AugKenya65 – 8Uganda
1996 – 
1995 – 
 – 
195824 MayUganda11 – 21Kenya
WOMEN
YearDateHomeScoreAwayElgon Cup Winner
201010 JulKenya16 – 8UgandaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya
20103 JulUganda8 – 5Kenya
201022 MayUganda 0 – 10 KenyaNon-Elgon Cup match.
201022 MayKenya 8 – 0 UgandaNon-Elgon Cup match.
200929 AugUganda12 – 5KenyaWon on aggregate by
Flag of Kenya.svg  Kenya [8] [9]
200915 AugKenya38 – 5Uganda
200816 AugKenya15 – 13UgandaShared, retained by
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda [10]
200824 MayUganda18 – 17Kenya
2007Tournament cancelled
200612 AugKenya0 – 3UgandaFirst won by
Flag of Uganda.svg  Uganda
200613 MayUganda24 – 0Kenya
2005 – 
2004 – 
2003 – 
2002 – 
2001 – 
2000 – 
1999 – 
1998 – 
1997 – 
1996 – 
1995 – 

Notes

a. ^ The RFUK was dissolved in 1953 with the formation of the Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA); the current Kenya Rugby Football Union (KRFU) was not formed until 1970.

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References

  1. ↑ "International Rugby Board - News". Irb.com. 2009-09-04. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  2. ↑ Osano, Bonface (17 June 2019). "A look At Kenya vs Uganda Head To Head Record Ahead Of 32nd Elgon Cup In Kisumu". Kahawa Tungu. Archived from the original on 18 June 2019.
  3. ↑ "Uganda: Elgon Cup Payback Time".
  4. ↑ Daily Nation, August 29, 2009: Kenya win Elgon Cup despite loss to Uganda in Kampala
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 "International Rugby Board - South Africa strengthen hold on top spot". Irb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  6. ↑ "International Rugby Board - Uganda to face Madagascar in Africa final". Irb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  7. ↑ "International Rugby Board - Victory sees Elgon Cup return to Kenya". Irb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-02-12. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  8. ↑ "Official HSBC Sevens World Series". Irb.com. 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2012-06-20.[ permanent dead link ]
  9. ↑ "International Rugby Board - Kenya climb one place in rankings". Irb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
  10. ↑ "International Rugby Board - Kenya fight back for Elgon Cup glory". Irb.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
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