“We’re Firmly Aligned to SARU”: President of Rugby Africa Applauds South Africa on Regional Cooperation

Herbert Mensah praises South Africa’s rugby structures and continental support across Africa.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa – South Africa’s match against Zimbabwe ‘A’ on Saturday represented another example of South Africa’s commitment to the rest of the continent, according to President of Rugby Africa and Executive Board Member of World Rugby, Herbert Mensah.

Zimbabwe played against a strong South African reserve side in Gqeberha on Saturday, losing 40–0, as the Sables continue preparations for their return to the Rugby World Cup next year in Australia.

To begin preparations for that return, the Sables – who last featured in the Rugby World Cup in 1991 – were invited to curtain-raise the unofficial Test between record four-time world champions Springboks and the Barbarians in the Eastern Cape.

“Zimbabwe playing against South Africa in any form is quite extraordinary, and I think we need to first roll back and thank a lot of people who have been involved in the process,” Mensah told Rugby Africa Media on Tuesday.

“I need to thank my good friend Mark Alexander (South African Rugby Union President), a leader who is showing leadership that is rare. That means you are thinking obviously about your union and the future, and I notice that South Africa has a standout position compared to many other tier-one nations in that their forward planning is extraordinary.

“So Zimbabwe playing against a South African second-string side, for me it’s still the Springboks, because Rassie Erasmus (Springbok head coach) put together a squad of 48 players he used last year. But you’ve got to also look at the South African team that won the World Rugby Under-20 Championship last year. I wonder if that team was to play the full Springboks, what the margin might be. They are that good. And when I get down to schoolboy level, and all the way down, you can see that South African rugby is so strong that some of their under-16s and under-14s would be able to take on some nations in the world.”

Mensah further remarked that, apart from helping Zimbabwe warm up for their Rugby World Cup return, South Africa’s contribution to the development of the game across Africa is far greater.

“Rugby Africa is very firmly aligned to SARU, I’ve made that very clear,” Mensah said.

“The days where we were aligned to France before SARU are gone. And I keep having to stress that our relationships with the FFR (Fédération Française de Rugby) are excellent, absolutely excellent. But we’ve moved beyond the world of historical associations into one where we understand who we are, and where we are as a continent. So that respect factor is massive.

“As Chair of the Regions Committee, I believe that the regions can only fully develop if they recognise their independence on one side as, in our case, Rugby Africa.

Therefore, we look at what it is we have internally and how we can develop internally. The accelerative point of growth requires a SARU to come to the table. It’s not to teach us about what we already know, but it’s to let us experience what we know and perhaps go on to know better.”

South Africa, a global superpower in rugby, is unrivalled in Africa in both formats and at all levels of the game. Despite this, South Africa has continued to immerse itself in rugby activities across the continent.

The South Africans’ willingness to offer technical assistance, resources, and stiff competition has helped raise standards among the next group of rugby-playing African nations.

“SARU have been big on that, they will play in our 2026 Africa Men’s Sevens in Mauritius, which is back on, it is definitely not cancelled,” said Mensah.

“And the South African women take part in all our African competitions. It helps the South Africans evolve, and it helps our Kenyans and our Ugandans and our Madagascars. We say thank you to SARU for that. In the women’s Sevens, we saw two years ago Kenya beating them, and now they’ve re-established themselves as number one. But you only get better when you play the best.”

Written by Enock Muchinjo