Rugby Union Sevens - a short form of the sport of rugby union - was first played in 1883, with the first (men's) internationals taking place in 1973. As women's rugby union developed in the 1960s and 1970s the format became very popular as it allowed games, and entire leagues, to be developed in countries even when player numbers were small, and it remains the main form the women's game is played in most parts of the world.
However, although the first Women's international rugby union 15-a-side test match took place in 1982, it was not until 1997 before the first Women's International Rugby Union Sevens tournaments were played, when the Hong Kong Sevens included a women's tournament for the first time. Over the next decade the number of tournaments grew, with almost every region developing regular championship. This reached its zenith with the first Women's Sevens World Cup in 2009, shortly followed by the announcement that women's rugby sevens will be included in the Olympics from 2016.
The following are details of all official regional women's international championship played in Africa since the first tournament in 2004, listed chronologically with the earliest first, with all result details, where known.
Played in Tunisia.
GROUP A
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 2 | 0 | 0 | 56 | 17 |
| Béziers (FRA) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 44 | 27 |
| Malta | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 66 |
GROUP B
| Team | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Montpellier (FRA) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 27 | 5 |
| Tunisia Universities | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | 20 |
| Portugal | 0 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 22 |
Semi Finals
5th/6th Place
3rd/4th Place
Final
October 2004. Results not available. Rwanda and Burundi sent their national teams to play against club teams from Uganda and Kenya (inc. Thunderbirds A, B and C (Uganda), Mwamba (Kenya)). Thunderbirds from Uganda won the tournament.
Played in Tunisia. Montpellier known to have played.
Planned for Kampala, 5-6 November. The International Rugby Board (IRB) through the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) offered 10,000 US dollars towards the first African women's rugby tournament to be held in Uganda. However CAR did not release the money as promised so it was called off. CAR released the money the following year (2006) for the first CAR 7s tournament where Uganda, Uganda Select, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Burundi, Zambia and Zimbabwe participated
Played in Tunisia. Montpellier known to have played.
Played in Uganda.
Venue/Date: Kyadondo Rugby Club, Kampala, Uganda, 24 June 2006 (Source CAR and Uganda Correspondent) Summarised
POOL One
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa Emerging | 3 | 0 | 0 | 62 | 5 |
| Kenya | 2 | 0 | 1 | 55 | 14 |
| Zambia | 1 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 48 |
| Uganda Select | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 76 |
POOL Two
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda | 3 | 0 | 0 | 134 | 5 |
| Rwanda | 2 | 0 | 1 | 71 | 24 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 79 |
| Burundi | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 112 |
Semi Finals Plate
Semi Finals Cup
Plate Final
1st/2nd Final
Date/Venue: Tunis, Tunisia, 9-10 March 2007 (Source Uganda Correspondent) Summarised
Matches
Final Placings
Date/Venue: Kyadondo Club, Kampala, Uganda, 16 June 2007 (Source CAR and Uganda correspondent) Summarised
POOL One
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emerging South Africa | 4 | 0 | 0 | 125 | 24 |
| Kenya | 3 | 0 | 1 | 98 | 38 |
| Uganda Select | 2 | 0 | 2 | 37 | 47 |
| Zambia | 1 | 0 | 3 | 90 | 41 |
| Burundi | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 200 |
POOL Two
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda | 4 | 0 | 0 | 129 | 10 |
| Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 1 | 109 | 27 |
| Pretoria University | 2 | 0 | 2 | 85 | 40 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 3 | 24 | 122 |
| Rwanda | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 153 |
Plate Semi Finals
1st-4th Semi Finals
Plate Final
1st/2nd Final
Venue/Date: East London, South Africa, August 7-9, 2008.
Venue/Date: Kampala, Uganda on September 20 to September 21, 2008 with two teams to qualify for Dubai 2009.
Invitations were forwarded to the following countries:
South Africa
Kenya
Uganda
Cote d’Ivoire
Tunisia
Madagascar
Zimbabwe
Botswana
Nigeria
Zambia
POOL A
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 5 |
| Kenya | 2 | 0 | 1 | 42 | 55 |
| Zambia | 1 | 0 | 2 | 50 | 51 |
| Uganda A | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 91 |
POOL B
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 110 | 5 |
| Uganda | 2 | 0 | 1 | 81 | 12 |
| Zimbabwe | 1 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 83 |
| Botswana | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 115 |
Cup Semi Finals
Winners qualify for Dubai
Bowl Semi Finals
Shield Final
Bowl Final
Plate Final
Cup Final
Venue/Date: 6-7 June 2009, Accra, Ghana. Ivory Coast were invited but did not attend.
Pool A Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tunisia
Pool B Nigeria, Egypt, Togo, Morocco
Semi Finals
3rd Place
Final
Possibly 25 - 26 September 2009, Kampala, Uganda. Cancelled due to a lack of sponsorship
28 & 29 May 2010. Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso[1] Mali withdrew and were replaced by Burkina Faso
POOL A
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2 | 1 | 0 | ? | ? |
| Morocco | 2 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 10 |
| Ghana | 1 | 1 | 1 | ? | ? |
| Togo | 0 | 0 | 3 | ? | ? |
Semi-finals
Consolation semifinals
7th place final
POOL B
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 3 | 0 | 0 | 118 | 0 |
| Burkina Faso A | 2 | 0 | 1 | ? | ? |
| Ivory Coast | 1 | 0 | 2 | ? | ? |
| Burkina Faso B | 0 | 0 | 3 | ? | ? |
5th place final
3rd place final
Final
23-24 April 2011. Thies, Senegal[3]
Tournament semi-finalists will qualify for the 2012 African Sevens Championship, which will act as a qualifier for the 2013 World Cup. Nigeria withdrew at the last minute, Niger arrived with a team composed mainly by U18 girls and were excluded.
POOL A
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tunisia | 2 | 2 | 0 | 66 | 0 |
| Burkina Faso | 1 | 0 | 1 | 20 | 31 |
| Egypt | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 60 |
POOL B
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Senegal | 2 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 12 |
| Morocco | 1 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 10 |
| Cameroon | 0 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 24 |
29-30 October 2011. Botswana[5]
Tournament semi-finalists will qualify for the 2012 African Sevens Championship, which will act as a qualifier for the 2013 World Cup
POOL A
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Africa | 3 | 0 | 0 | 132 | 5 |
| Zimbabwe | 2 | 0 | 1 | 64 | 49 |
| Zambia | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 | 53 |
| Rwanda | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 111 |
POOL B
| Nation | Won | Drawn | Lost | For | Against |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Uganda | 3 | 0 | 0 | 51 | 12 |
| Kenya | 2 | 0 | 1 | 65 | 27 |
| Madagascar | 1 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 46 |
| Botswana | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 62 |
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