View source for Rugby union in Ivory Coast

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Sport overview
| country               = Ivory Coast
| sport                 = rugby union
| image                 = Ivory Coast rugby union team in 2008.jpg
| imagesize             = 300px
| caption               = The national team.
| union                 = Fédération Ivoirienne de Rugby
| nickname              = The Elephants<br/>({{langx|fr|Les éléphants}})
| first                 = 1946
| registered            = 5,383<ref name="IRB" />
| clubs                 = 14<ref name="IRB" />
| match                 = 
| national_list         = [[Rugby World Cup]]<br>[[Rugby World Cup Sevens]]<br>[[IRB Sevens World Series]]
| club_list             = 
| countryflag           = Ivory Coast
}}

'''Rugby union in Ivory Coast''' is essentially amateur, with some degree of semi-professionalization in its top-flight league and the [[Ivory Coast national rugby union team|national rugby union team]].

The sport is popular among school children, but the rugby union playing population in [[Ivory Coast]] is still relatively small with only 14 clubs. There are around 5,383 registered players,<ref name="IRB">{{cite web |url=http://www.irb.com/unions/union=11000052/index.html |publisher=International Rugby Board |title=Ivory Coast |accessdate=22 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121018163232/http://www.irb.com/unions/union=11000052/index.html |archivedate=18 October 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and the game takes in people from all walks of life.<ref name=Islam>http://wesclark.com/rrr/islamic_rugby.html "Islam and Rugby" on the ''Rugby Readers review'' retrieved 2 July 2009</ref> As of 22 June 2014, the men's national side are ranked 47th in the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=IRB World Rankings|date=16 June 2014|accessdate=22 June 2014|url=http://www.irb.com/rankings/sportid=1/ranking/index.html|publisher=International Rugby Board|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140623120814/http://www.irb.com/rankings/sportid=1/ranking/index.html|archivedate=23 June 2014|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Governing body==
Rugby union in the Ivory Coast is administered by the [[Fédération Ivoirienne de Rugby]].<ref name=IRB/> It was founded in 1961 and became affiliated to the [[International Rugby Board]] in 1988.<ref name=Islam/><ref name=Completerugby>Bath p 69.</ref>

==History==
The sport is mainly played in and around the former capital [[Abidjan]].<ref name=Completerugby/>

The first recorded game in the Ivory Coast was just after the Second World War, in 1946, when Mme Andre Benois organised a match between two teams of expatriates.<ref name=Richards1>Richards, Chapter 9 ''From Muller to Mias'', p 164.</ref> They used an improvised ball made from the inner tube of a tyre.<ref name=Richards1/>

The game was further developed by French schoolmasters working in the country.<ref name=Richards2>Richards, Chapter 13 ''Resisting the Inevitable'', p 237.</ref>

As a former French colony, the country has tended to come under the French sphere of influence, and many top players, including [[Max Brito]] played in France.<ref name=Completerugby/> Although the origins of Ivorian rugby go back to the 1960s and earlier, real growth came about when the paid French official Jean-François Turon managed to get the game adopted by [[Abidjan University]] at the turn of the 1980s, but it is François Dali who is seen as the father of Ivorian rugby, and his son, [[Athanase Dali]], was the national captain during the 1990s.<ref name=Completerugby/>

Ivorian delegates were amongst those who went to the centenary congress of the [[International Rugby Board|International Rugby Football Board]] in 1986.<ref name=Starmer-Smith2>Starmer-Smith, p186</ref>

Ivory Coast is a founding member of the [[Confederation of African Rugby]] (CAR), which was launched officially in January 1986, in [[Tunis]], [[Tunisia]]. Rugby officials from [[Rugby union in Tunisia|Tunisia]], [[Rugby union in Morocco|Morocco]], [[Rugby union in Senegal|Senegal]], [[Rugby union in Tanzania|Tanzania]], [[Rugby union in Kenya|Kenya]], [[Rugby union in the Seychelles|the Seychelles]] and [[Rugby union in Madagascar|Madagascar]] also attended.<ref>http://carugby.com/history/ History of the CAR, retrieved 24 June 2009</ref>

==National team==
The [[Ivory Coast national rugby union team]], nicknamed ‘The Elephants’ ({{langx|fr|Les éléphants}}), is a third-tier [[rugby union]] side representing the Ivory Coast. The national team is a relatively recent creation. It was not even in existence when the first (invitation only) [[1987 Rugby World Cup|Rugby World Cup]] was played in 1987. They played their first international in 1990 against [[Zimbabwe national rugby union team|Zimbabwe]].<ref name=Completerugby/> Their presence at the [[1995 Rugby World Cup]] wasn't particularly memorable, with an 89–0 loss to Scotland in the opening match, a worthy performance to France in their 54–18 loss, in a game where the Ivorians managed to score two tries, and a 29–11 final defeat by Tonga. The Ivory Coast came close to qualifying for the [[2011 Rugby World Cup]], but were eliminated by Namibia.

===1995 World Cup===
The Ivory Coast's first—and thus far only—appearance at the [[Rugby World Cup]] was in [[1995 Rugby World Cup|1995]]. Namibia, a [[South West Africa|former South African territory]], had narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Cup because they had rested a number of key players in the qualifying rounds.<ref name=Richards2/> Ivory Coast slipped past them, as well as past Zimbabwe and the third African favourite [[Morocco national rugby union team|Morocco]].<ref name=Richards2/>

Ivory Coast went into the World Cup optimistic, with coach Claude Ezoua quoted as saying: "We want to prove to the world that there is more to African rugby than just South Africa."<ref name=Richards2/> Although [[Namibia national rugby union team|Namibia]] and [[Zimbabwe national rugby union team|Zimbabwe]] had qualified for the RWC at different times, both of these countries were firmly within the South African orbit, and had mostly white players who spoke English and/or Afrikaans.<ref>Namibia had previously been a territory of South Africa ([[South West Africa]]), while Zimbabwe had provided South Africa with a number of players such as [[Ray Mordt]].</ref> The Ivory Coast, on the other hand, was in [[West Africa]] and was French- rather than English-speaking. Moreover, as none of its players was white, their  success has been seen by many as a positive sign that black Africa was emerging as a force in world rugby.<ref name=Completerugby/>

The composition of the World Cup squad also revealed interesting things about Ivorian rugby. 25 out of 26 were Ivorian-born (the exception being [[Max Brito]], who was born in [[Senegal]]);<ref name=Richards2/> half the squad was based and played in France;<ref name=Richards2/> and many of the players were originally from [[Abidjan]]'s harbour district.<ref name=Richards2/> At this point, eight of the country's ten senior clubs were based in the capital.<ref name=Richards2/> As an incentive, many of them had been paid the equivalent of £1.25 to turn up to training.<ref name=Richards2/>

Once in the World Cup, the Ivory Coast's fortunes waned. Captain [[Athanase Dali]] was injured playing against [[Scotland national rugby union team|Scotland]] who won 89–0, and fearless tackler [[Max Brito]] suffered a spinal injury when he went for a Tongan.<ref name=Richards3>Richards, Chapter 13 ''Resisting the Inevitable'', p 241</ref>

===Since 1995===
Ivory Coast compete for the [[Africa Cup]], but have never ranked high in the competition for it. As the result of its 2013 Africa Cup performance, in which ''Les Éléphants'' defeated Zambia, Mauritius and Morocco, Ivory Coast were promoted from Division 1C to Division 1B of the competition.<ref>{{cite web|title=Résultat des compétitions CAR 2013|url=http://www.confederation-africaine-rugby.com/images/comptitions%20car%20%202013.pdf|accessdate=22 June 2014|date=2 Oct 2013|author=Confederation of African Rugby}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.confederation-africaine-rugby.com/index.php/en/home/2-uncategorised/853-africa-cup-1c-day-3|author=Janick Barthès|title=Africa Cup 1C Day 3|publisher=Confederation of African Rugby|date=29 June 2013|accessdate=22 June 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131024132226/http://www.confederation-africaine-rugby.com/index.php/en/home/2-uncategorised/853-africa-cup-1c-day-3|archivedate=24 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Aboubakar Camara]]
* [[Athanase Dali]]
* [[Pépito Elhorga]]
* [[Ismaila Lassissi]]

==References==
* Bath, Richard (ed., 1997). ''The Complete Book of Rugby''. Seven Oaks Ltd. {{ISBN|1-86200-013-1}}.
* Richards, Huw (2007). ''A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union''. [[Edinburgh]]: [[Mainstream Publishing]]. {{ISBN|978-1-84596-255-5}}.
* [[Nigel Starmer-Smith|Starmer-Smith, Nigel]] (ed., 1986). ''Rugby - A Way of Life, An Illustrated History of Rugby''. Lennard Books. {{ISBN|0-7126-2662-X}}.
<references/>

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110930115121/http://www.irb.com/unions/union=11000052/index.html The Ivory Coast at the IRB website]
* [http://carugby.com/ CAR]
* [http://wesclark.com/rrr/islamic_rugby.html "Islam and Rugby" on the ''Rugby Readers review'']

{{Rugby union in the Ivory Coast}}
{{Africa topic|Rugby union in}}

[[Category:Rugby union in Ivory Coast| ]]