Sport | Rugby union |
---|---|
Instituted | 2003 |
Number of teams | 8 |
Country |
Kenya (5 teams) Uganda (2 teams) Tanzania (1 team) |
Holders | Rhinos (2010) |
Most titles | Rhinos (4) |
Broadcast partner | Supersport |
Related competition | Kenya Cup |
The Bamburi Super Series is an East African Rugby union competition with eight teams in total, five teams from Kenya (Lions, Rhinos, Sharks, Cheetahs and Buffaloes) two from Uganda (Rwenzori and Victoria) and one from Tanzania (Twigas). It is closely based on the Super Rugby competition in the southern hemisphere. Games take place at the RFUEA Ground in Nairobi (Kenya), Friedkin Recreation Centre in Arusha (Tanzania) and the Kyadondo Grounds, Kampala (Uganda). Rhinos have won the most titles with four wins, and are the only team to have defended a title when they beat the Cheetahs 25-5 in the 2010 final.
The current scoring system per match is listed below.
The teams consists of players drawn from two or three club teams. Trials are held by each franchise from which the best 30 players are picked to represent the team in the tournament. This combination of players from many clubs allows for a higher quality of rugby to be played.
There are eight teams in total:
In the first few years of the tournament, the clubs that made up the various franchises would change from year to year in an effort to maintain a balanced competition. Since 2008 the emphasis has been on retaining more stability in order to allow for the development of fan loyalty and stronger spectator support from year to year.
The original aim of the competition was to encourage the development of rugby in Kenya and to provide a proving ground for players at a level higher than club rugby and thus help the selectors of the Kenya XV's squad do their job. It was also hoped that it would give the 15-a-side code of the game more exposure in Kenya; after the recent successes of the national sevens team, the Kenyan public are very aware and supportive of the shorter form of the game, but somewhat ignorant of the original sport. Four franchise teams (Rhinos, Buffaloes, Lions and Cheetahs) were created within Kenya and all the matches were played at the RFUEA Ground in Nairobi. The tournament was played on a round robin format and the top two teams qualified for the final.