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Rugby union in Burkina Faso is a minor but growing sport.
Contents
Governing body
The governing body is affiliated to the Confederation of African Rugby, but not to the International Rugby Board.
History
Rugby union was introduced into Upper Volta, as it was then, by the French, who ruled the country for a number of years.
As with many minor rugby nations, the sport is centred on the national capital - Ouagadougou. Burkina Faso rates second last on the Human Development Index, which means it is extremely poor, and lacks the infrastructure that would improve its rugby standing.
The national coach of the Burkina Faso rugby team is Laurent Stravato. They just won the African cup of 7s in 2014.
Like many African countries, the historical connection with France is a mixed blessing. For a number of years, Burkinabé rugby players would leave to play there, which deprived rugby in Burkina Faso of any real competition. As an example, one of the most notable Burkinabé players was Fulgence Ouedraogo, who played for the France national rugby union team, but would have qualified for the Burkina Faso national rugby union team. Ouedraogo left Burkina Faso at an early age, and started playing rugby at the age of 6, meeting his MHRC teammate François Trinh-Duc, at the Pic-Saint-Loup rugby school near Montpellier.
Women's rugby
Although Burkina Faso's women have not yet played test match rugby, they have been playing international sevens rugby since 2006. (Current playing record).