Sport : Malagasy rugby

Rugby is one of the most popular sports in Madagascar. Yet, the team from the big island cannot access international competitions. In this article you will know why.

Malagasy rugby

Do you know that we play rugby in Madagascar? ? The Malagasy rugby federation records on 28 million inhabitants of Madagascar, l40 000 licensed. The big island is ranked second largest country in Africa practicing this sport behind South Africa. But he cannot compete in international competitions ? So the question arises why ? You have the answers below.

Insufficient funding

To achieve high-level sporting results, funding is needed. “It is not possible to have barefoot players doing 3 hours of training without a water bottle”, says Francis Ntamack, former coach of the Makis national team. All these elements are necessary in high-level sport, we cannot put aside.

Each year, World Rugby donne environ 70 000 euros to the Malagasy federation. This grant is dedicated to the development. And the payments from the federation to the clubs mainly come from revenue from matches.

Thus, it is ticket sales that pay for equipment and training fees. “On money generated during matches, 30 % return to clubs, 30 % to the national team, 30 % for other competitions, 10 % to the administration… it’s divided like that.”

Other obstacles ?

Lack of financial means is not the only obstacle to practicing professional and international rugby. “It's difficult to find big guys to exist at fifteen”, tries to explain Daniel Bessaguet, general manager for the RCTS club in the Soavimasoandro district north of Antananarivo.

The third obstacle, it's the technique. “Players are struggling in specific sectors : the fray, ruck phases and touches”, specifies Azzouz Aïb, Managing Director Rugby Africa. In addition, playing times are very long. In Europe, the match stops and is also played in downtime. In Madagascar, the players return to the pitch headlong.

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