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Rugby · History

History of Rugby in Nigeria

From a school game in England to Nigeria’s Black Stallions.

Nigerian forwards packing down against opponents

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How rugby began and came to Nigeria

The sports of Rugby football was believed to have originated from the manner of football played at the Rugby school in England. In 1823, a pupil at Rugby school; William Webb Ellis, is said to have disregarded the rules of football as played at the time, which did not allow a player to run with the ball, and instead caught the ball and ran with it in a game, then producing another way on how the rugby football game can be handled.

Rugby football came into existence in Nigeria through the British Empire. The Nigeria Rugby football was known to be dominated by the white settlers and expatriates for so many years. Rugby football in Nigeria is a small sport that is still under development. It was ranked 75th in the World Rugby (formerly International Rugby Board) men’s rankings in June 2026.

Nigerian forwards in a scrum during an international match

Verified timeline · checked 30 September 2026

Rugby in Nigeria: a timeline

  1. 1823Legend says William Webb Ellis picked up the ball and ran with it at Rugby School, Warwickshire. The story was first told in 1876.
  2. 1871The Rugby Football Union is founded in London and writes the first rules of the handling game.
  3. 1886The International Rugby Football Board, today’s World Rugby, is formed.
  4. 1895Northern clubs meet in Huddersfield and form the Northern Rugby Football Union, the start of rugby league (renamed the Rugby Football League in 1922).
  5. Colonial eraRugby reaches Nigeria with the British. For decades the game is played mostly by white settlers and expatriates, with Kaduna known as the home of rugby union in the north.
  6. 1 Aug 1987Nigeria’s first recorded international, a 111-12 defeat by Zimbabwe in Nairobi.
  7. 6 May 1998The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation is founded.
  8. 2012Nigeria’s sevens team finishes 3rd at the African qualifier for the 2013 Rugby World Cup Sevens.
  9. 23 Jun 2013Biggest win in Nigerian rugby history: 63-3 against Mauritius.
  10. 2014Nigeria withdraws its sevens team before the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
  11. 2 Oct 2019Nigeria plays its first rugby league international and beats Ghana 23-12 in Lagos.
  12. May 2021Rugby Africa suspends Nigeria after the sports ministry dissolves the NRFF board; Dr. Ademola Are is elected president later in 2021.
  13. Nov 2022World Rugby lifts Nigeria’s suspension.
  14. Mar 2024Rugby is played at the African Games for the first time, in Accra. Nigeria’s women take part.
  15. Jun 2025The Stallions finish 7th at the Africa Men’s Sevens in Mauritius.
  16. Oct 2025Ademola Are is re-elected NRFF president for four years.
  17. Jun 2026Nigeria is ranked 75th in the World Rugby men’s rankings.

Three codes of rugby in Nigeria

Rugby union is the fifteen-a-side game run by the NRFF, played by the Black Stallions in the Rugby Africa Cup and Rugby World Cup qualifiers. Rugby sevens, the fast seven-a-side version, is an Olympic sport and the format of most Nigerian club tournaments, including the Lagos Independence 7s. Rugby league, the thirteen-a-side code born in Huddersfield in 1895, has its own Nigerian national team, which joined the international game in 2019.

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Quick answers

Rugby history: quick answers

How did rugby come to Nigeria?

Rugby came to Nigeria through the British Empire. For many years the game was dominated by white settlers and expatriates before Nigerian clubs such as Cowrie RFC in Lagos and Barewa in Kano grew up.

When was the Nigeria Rugby Football Federation founded?

On 6 May 1998. It is affiliated to the Nigeria Olympic Committee, Rugby Africa and World Rugby.

What was Nigeria’s first rugby international?

Nigeria’s first recorded test was against Zimbabwe in Nairobi on 1 August 1987, lost 111-12.

Where did rugby start?

Rugby football grew out of the football played at Rugby School in England. The famous story of William Webb Ellis running with the ball in 1823 is a legend that was first told in 1876.