| Sport | Rugby union |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2010 |
| Country | Kenya Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe |
| Most recent champion(s) |  Zimbabwe (2019) |
| TV partner(s) | Kwese sports |
| Related competitions | Elgon Cup |
The Victoria Cup is a rugby union tournament contested by the four African nations of Kenya, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe as of 2019[update]. After a seven-year hiatus, the competition was revived following Rugby Africa's cancellation of the Africa Gold Cup in 2019 due to sponsorship loss.[1][2]
In 2010 and 2011, the Victoria Cup was played as a tri-nations tournament between Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda on a double round-robin basis, with the teams playing home-and-away. The competition was discontinued in 2012 after Uganda and Zimbabwe withdrew due to financial difficulties.[2][3]
The Cup is named after Lake Victoria in Kenya and Victoria Falls which were named in honour the reigning Queen Victoria and her great grandmother.
Champions
[edit]The Victoria Cup winners and runners-up from the inaugural tri-nations tournament of 2010 onward are listed below:
| Year | Teams | Winner | Runner-up | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 4 | Zimbabwe
|
 Kenya
|
[4] |
| 2013–2018 | Not contested | |||
| 2012 | Cancelled | |||
| 2011 | 3 | Zimbabwe
|
Kenya
|
|
| 2010 | 3 | Kenya
|
Zimbabwe
|
|
Precursor: 1958–2009
[edit]The results of matches involving Kenya, Zimbabwe and Uganda from 1958–2009 are listed below:
| Date | Home | Score | Visitor | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009-08-29 |  Uganda |
18 – 13 |
Kenya |
Kyadondo Grounds, Kampala, Uganda | Elgon Cup 2009 Round 2. |
| 2009-08-15 | Kenya |
30 – 22 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Elgon Cup 2009 Round 1. |
| 2008-08-16 | Kenya |
39 – 20 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Elgon Cup 2008 Round 2. |
| 2008-05-24 | Uganda |
20 – 3 |
Kenya |
Kyadondo Grounds, Kampala, Uganda | Elgon Cup 2008 Round 1. |
| 2007-09-26 | Uganda |
24 – 12 |
Kenya |
Mahamasina Municipal Stadium, Antananarivo, Madagascar | Semi final of the Africa Cup |
| 2007-08-11 | Kenya |
33 – 15 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Elgon Cup 2007 Round 2. |
| 2007-05-26 | Uganda |
29 – 10 |
Kenya |
Kyadondo Grounds, Kampala, Uganda | Elgon Cup 2007 Round 1. |
| 2006-08-12 | Kenya |
20 – 22 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Elgon Cup 2006 Round 2. |
| 2006-05-13 | Uganda |
7 – 7 |
Kenya |
Kyadondo Grounds, Kampala, Uganda | Elgon Cup 2006 Round 1. |
| 2005-08-27 | Uganda |
5 – 13 |
Zimbabwe |
Kampala | Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Championship, Division 1, Pool A |
| 2005-08-20 | Uganda |
20 – 9 |
Zimbabwe |
Kampala | RWC Qualifier, Africa, Round 1B, Playoff 2nd leg |
| 2005-08-06 | Zimbabwe |
22 – 16 |
Uganda |
Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe | RWC Qualifier, Africa, Round 1B, Playoff 1st leg |
| 2005-06-25 | Uganda |
5 – 8 |
Kenya |
||
| 2004-09-11 | Zimbabwe |
17 – 0 |
Uganda |
Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe | African CAR Championship, Division 1 South, Pool 1 |
| 2004-07-31 | Kenya |
18 – 8 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | |
| 2004-07-24 | Zimbabwe |
24 – 15 |
Kenya |
Hartsfield Ground, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe | Friendly, Kenya Tour |
| 2003-07-05 | Uganda |
25 – 3 |
Zimbabwe |
Kampala | African CAR Championship, Division 1, Pool B |
| 2003-06-14 | Uganda |
21 – 22 |
Kenya |
||
| 2003-05-25 | Kenya |
32 – 24 |
Zimbabwe |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Friendly, Zimbabwe tour |
| 2002-10-05 | Kenya |
22 – 31 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | |
| 2002-09-28 | Kenya |
19 – 12 |
Zimbabwe |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Kenya Airways Cup |
| 2002-07-21 | Uganda |
8 – 12 |
Kenya |
||
| 2002-05-18 | Zimbabwe |
43 – 0 |
Uganda |
Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe | Friendly, Uganda tour. First match between these two nations. Used by Zimbabwe as warm up for RWC qualifying.[5] |
| 2001-09-29 | Kenya |
44 – 17 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | |
| 2001-07-28 | Kenya |
12 – 9 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | |
| 1997-08-23 | Kenya |
65 – 8 |
Uganda |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | |
| 1993-07-03 | Kenya |
7 – 42 |
Zimbabwe |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | RWC Qualifier, Africa, Round 1, Group 2. Match Report[6] |
| 1989-08-13 | Kenya |
9 – 56 |
Zimbabwe |
Harare Sports Club, Harare, Zimbabwe | Friendly, Kenya Tour. Score was 6 – 22 at half-time. |
| 1987-08-07 | Kenya |
12 – 44 |
Zimbabwe |
Nairobi | Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) Championship. Score was 3 – 26 at half-time. |
| 1985-05-01 | Zimbabwe |
15 – 13 |
Kenya |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Friendly, Zimbabwe tour. |
| 1982-03-27 | Zimbabwe |
15 – 12 |
East Africa | Sailsbury Sports Club, Sailsbury, Zimbabwe | Match was between Zimbabwe and East Africa (not Kenya) on their Seventh Tuskers Tour to Zambia and Zimbabwe. See Note[c] Sailsbury had not yet been renamed as Harare. |
| 1981-05-23 | Kenya |
24 – 34 |
Zimbabwe |
RFUEA Ground, Nairobi, Kenya | Friendly, Zimbabwe tour. First match between these two nations. |
Kenya Uganda Uganda Kenya |
– |
Uganda Kenya Kenya Uganda |
Between 1960 and 1980 there were frequent but irregular matches between Kenya and Uganda; records of the results of these matches may not have survived. | ||
| 1958-05-24 | Uganda |
11 – 21 |
Kenya |
Kampala | First official match between these 'nations' although at the time they were regarded as 'districts' within the British Empire. |
Notes
[edit]a. ^ Lake Victoria and the Victoria Falls are not connected contrary to some reports.[7] The only major river that flows out of Lake Victoria is the River Nile which flows north to the Mediterranean Sea. The Victoria Falls are on the Zambezi River which begins in Zambia and runs south and east to empty into the Indian Ocean.
b. ^ Lake Victoria is Africa’s largest lake it is also the largest tropical lake and the second largest freshwater lake in the world. While the Victoria Falls are neither the highest nor the widest waterfall in the world, it is claimed to be the largest sheet of falling water in the world measuring some 184,500 sq meters.
c. ^ The 1982 match between the Zimbabwe and East Africa is often listed in popular online databases as being Zimbabwe v Kenya. In fact it was played by East Africa on the Seventh Tuskers Tour to Zambia and Zimbabwe. Though this team was almost exclusively (if not entirely) made up of Kenyan players, it is not technically a Kenya v Zimbabwe result. As the Lions is made up of players from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, so the East Africa team selects players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania.
References
[edit]- ^ "Victoria Cup returns". Kratos Sports. 14 June 2019. Archived from the original on 25 June 2019.
- ^ a b Tisa, Luvisia (18 June 2019). "Victoria Cup set to return, Kenya Simbas among sides expected to feature". scrummage.co.ke. Archived from the original on 25 June 2019.
- ^ "Uganda pull out of Junior Africa Cup". The Herald. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "World Rugby".
- ^ Augustine Mukaro (17 May 2002). "Zimbabwe: Rugby Squad Intensifies Bid for World Cup". AllAfrica. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ "Rugby Teams, Scores, Stats, News, Fixtures, Results, Tables - ESPN".
- ^ "allAfrica.com: Uganda Blasts Blow Away Rugby Match". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011.