Cameroon will confront Côte d'Ivoire, Mauritius Island and the host country Botswana in the upcoming "Africa Cup" competition.
Some 26 home-based rugby players and four professionals from South Africa have been called to camp in Limbe from July 9th to 19th by the coach of the national rugby team in view of the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations in that discipline. Cameroon’s opponents in the final round of the tournament due to take place in Botswana comprise Cote d’Ivoire, Mauritius Island and Botswana. This is the only competition Cameroon’s national rugby team will compete in for the year 2012. The rugby Lions reside at the premises of the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR, at Man O’ War Bay, and train twice every day at the Limbe centenary stadium from 8:30am to 11am, in the morning and from 2pm in the afternoon. The training range from warm up exercises to demonstration matches pitting some of the players against others. Given that rugby is a collective game, their training focuses mainly on instilling a team spirit, which is a prerequisite for good performance.
The African Rugby Confederation Cup regroups 12 countries. The teams are divided into four groups. Cameroon belongs to Group C, and will play against Côte D’Ivoire, Mauritius Island and the competition's host Botswana. Thus, for the national rugby team to sail through to the second round of the competition, they have to win all group matches. The Confederation Cup equally counts for the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifiers. The Secretary General of Fecarugby, François Tontsa, said financial constraints were an impediment to their preparation. He expressed gratitude for the support offered by the BIR in lodging, feeding and transporting the players. However, Coach Nde Jean Justin boasts of his players’ determination to go far in the tournament. Even though two have sustained injuries and may not participate in the upcoming Africa Cup, he is bent on maintaining a collective team spirit saying hard work leads to positive results. More so, the Coach considers the presence of four international and professional players as a plus. He counts on the exchange of ideas and sharing of experiences among home-based players and professionals.
