Ghana Rugby chalked yet another historic milestone when a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) and the University of Pretoria in South Africa.

The agreement was announced in Pretoria when Mr. Steve Noi, Director of the GRFU, paid a courtesy call on Dr. Rendani Mulaudzi, Deputy Director/CEO of TuksSport at the University of Pretoria.

According to Mr. Noi, the historic agreement was the result of one of the outreach programmes of the President of the GRFU, Mr. Herbert Mensah.

“Mr. Mensah has initiated various outreach programmes to influential Rugby personalities and institutions in both Europe and South Africa and the MOU is the fruits of one of those programmes,” Mr. Noi said.

The preamble of the MOU states that “WHEREAS the GRFU is desirous of entering into a collaborative agreement on rugby development issues with TuksSport; and WHEREAS TuksSport is desirous of assisting GRFU in its efforts to develop rugby in Ghana” and embodies the essence of the cooperation agreement.

The MOU further covers coaching development whereby the GRFU will invite TuksSport coaches to Ghana to facilitate and assist in the development of rugby coaching. GRFU coaches will have the opportunity to understudy the TuksSport coaches during training and competitions as well as the opportunity to participate in training courses.

In addition, the MOU provides for the GRFU to send players to be part of the TuksSport rugby teams in training and competitions. It also provides the opportunity for GRFU to send the Ghana national team to TuksSport for an agreed period of time for training and education in rugby.

TuksSport, through the Tuks Rugby Club, also agreed to assist and facilitate in arranging training and competitive matches for any visiting GRFU players teams. It further agrees to, within its means, give guidance and advice to the GRFU on the running of rugby development programmes and to assist the GRFU with rugby equipment as and when available.

TuksSport boasts of the only high performance sporting centre in Africa that offers a sports school, a sports science centre, full hospitality services, as well as world-class coaching and training facilities in a one-stop-venue.

Some of the facilities include 6 rugby fields, a rugby stadium with 3, 500 seats and a rugby clubhouse in addition to a fitness gymnasium, a heated indoor swimming pool, committee and lecture rooms and a restaurant and cafeteria.

According to Mr. Mensah the improvement of the technical capacities of Ghana Rugby has been very high on the agenda of his administration since taking over in June 2014.

“The sad fact is that after 11 years in existence Ghana Rugby does not have one qualified Level 2 coach and this reflects on the quality of rugby being played. It is essential that Ghana Rugby reaches out to institutions such as TuksSport to assist the GRFU in taking rugby in Ghana to a much higher level,” Mr. Mensah said.