tanzania east Africa – What is the history of the East African rugby union and rugby in Tanzania?

The history of the national Tanzanian rugby team begins with the history of the East African rugby union. The East African rugby union was formed in 1950 as a rugby team with players from the British East Africa colonies of Kenya, Tanganyika (part of what is now Tanzania), and Uganda. Originally the team was mostly made up of white settlers, but beginning in the 1960s indigenous black Africans began to play the sport and soon became major participants on the East African rugby team.

The East African Rugby Union plays with the name East Africa when playing at home, but when on the road the team usually takes the name the Tuskers. The East Africa region saw many different touring teams starting with university and Royal Navy teams before World War II. However, the first time a local team competed with the name East Africa was not until 1949 when they faced Cape Town University.

During the period of Tanzania playing as part of the East Africa rugby union, the sport of rugby was not big in Tanganyika and almost non-existent in Zanzibar. The East Africa rugby union not only mostly played in Kenya, but the team was also mostly made up of white settlers that resided in Kenya. The major opponents that the East Africa team faced included the British and Irish Lions in 1955 and 1962 and the Barabarian F.C. in 1958.

The East Africa Rugby Union went on five tours called Tuskers tours, as the team was referred to as the Tuskers when on tour. The first tour had only two players from the Tanganyika colony. The first two tours were Copperbelt tours through the region of Zambia. The third tour was a tour through England. The fourth went through Ireland. The last tour was another Zambia tour and by this time the team only had one player from Tanzania.

The East African Rugby Union has not toured or played for over 20 years, but the organization still exists as a dormant team operation. The Tanzanians began to compete with their own national team in the 1970s. However, it was not until 2004 that the Tanzanian national rugby union team competed in its first internationally recognized competition in which they defeated Burundi. In 2006, Tanzania won the CAR Castel Cup and in 2007 they hosted that event in Arusha, where the Tanzania national team is based.

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