Namibia coach Allister Coetzee has slammed the decision to host next year's African qualifiers for the Rugby World Cup in France rather than on the African continent.
Zimbabwe, Algeria, Burkina Faso, Namibia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Uganda and Senegal will compete in the Rugby Africa Cup in July 2022 in France, which serves as the final qualifying competition for the 2023 World Cup that the French are also hosting.
He said the qualifiers should have been used to develop the game on the continent, where rugby remains a minority sport. In a statement, Rugby Africa said its executive committee had considered the well-being, health and safety of the players when it voted for France to host the continental qualifiers."With a long tradition of hosting Rugby Africa tournaments and activities, France and Rugby Africa are already in a close collaboration process which will provide the eight competing teams with an exceptional tournament," Rugby Africa said.
Senegal will take on Algeria while Kenya face Uganda in an East African derby in the other opening-round fixtures, with the victors proceeding to the semi-finals.
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