Friends Of Rugby Postpone Championship

Lagos-based “Friends of Rugby’’ has postponed its proposed Tri-Regional Rugby Challenge Championship meant to end the 2009/2010 season.

The competition would have held last weekend.

A statement by Ntiense Williams, Secretary of the group said on Saturday in Lagos that the championship was postponed for a crucial national rugby stakeholders meeting.

According to the statement, the meeting, planned December  21, will be look into the ban of the Nigeria Rugby Football Union (NRFU) as a result of government’s concession of the body to private hands.

“The meeting will enable all rugby stakeholders to carefully study the situation of the ban by the International Rugby Board (IRB) and Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) from international activities.

“I think is now very paramount that we find a lasting amicable solution to the lingering problem which has brought untold hardship to Nigerian rugby players and a great embarrassment to our country,’’ it said.

IRB and CAR during the Confederation of African Rugby General Assembly held in Ghana last week met with the Nigerian delegation and asked them to resolve the problem before the ban could be lifted.

The statement said the Tri-Regional Rugby tournament would be rescheduled for 2011 season.