The Rugby Africa Cup 2022, which will also serve as the final round of the Rugby World Cup 2023 qualifying for African countries, will be held in France from July 1 to 10, 2022.
The competition will be hosted at Aix-en-Stade Provence’s Maurice-David and Marseille’s Stade Pierre-Delort, which hosted the RWC 2019 Final Qualification Tournament.
The Rugby Africa Cup pool stage was contested in July 2021, following the Rugby Africa Cup Repechage 2021, and determined the eight teams that will compete in the quarter-finals in France.
Namibia, who are bidding to reach a seventh successive Rugby World Cup, Senegal, Uganda and Zimbabwe qualified for the quarter-finals as pool winners. They were joined in the last eight by pool runners-up Burkina Faso, Algeria, Kenya Simbas and Ivory Coast.
Burkina Faso, ranked 91st in the World Rugby Men’s Rankings will face Namibia on Friday 1 July 2022 in the first quarterfinal match set for Stade Pierre-Delort in Marseille at 1900 hours East African Time.
Zimbabwe Sables will also face Ivory Coast on 1 July at the same venue in a 2200 hours kick off clash.
Kenya Simbas will take on the Uganda Cranes on Saturday 2 July at Stade Maurice-David in Aix-en-Provence set for a 1600 hours kick off clash.
Senegal will face Algeria in the second quarterfinal at the same venue on 1 July at 1900 hours.
The victor of the eight-team knockout competition will represent Africa in the RWC 2023 in France 14 months later. New Zealand, hosts France, Italy, and Uruguay are all in Pool A for the Africa 1 qualifier.
Whoever finishes as runners-up following the much-anticipated Rugby Africa Cup 2022 final on 10 July will still have a chance of qualifying for RWC 2023 through the Final Qualification Tournament.
Rugby Africa Cup quarterfinal dates and venues (Timings in East Africa)
1 July 2022
Namibia vs Burkina Faso – Stade Pierre-Delort in Marseille- 1900 Hours
Zimbabwe Sables vs Ivory Coast-Stade Delort, France – 2200 Hours
2 July 2022
Uganda Cranes vs Kenya Simbas – Stade Maurice-David in Aix-en-Provence 1600 -Hours
Senegal vs Algeria Stade Maurice-David in Aix-en-Provence- in Marseille -1900 Hours
Rugby Africa Cup Semis
6 July 2022
Namibia vs Zimbabwe Sables -Stade Maurice-David in Aix-en-Provence. (22:00 EAT)
Kenya Simbas vs Algeria-Stade Pierre-Delort in Marseille (19:00 EAT)
Ranking semis
Burkina Faso vs Ivory Coast -Stade Maurice-David in Aix-en-Provence ( 1900 EAT ).
Uganda Cranes vs Senegal -Stade Pierre-Delort in Marseille (16:00
Final
10 July 2022
Gold
Winner 1 vs winner 2 -Stade Maurice-David in Aix-en-Provence.
Bronze
Loser 1 vs lose 2
Fifth play-off
TBC
Seventh playoff
TBC
