The Ghana Rugby Union is currently holding its first ever Rugby coaches clinic in Accra.
The clinic is in line with the Rugby Association’s plan of using the month of August for Rugby training and education.
The clinic is being facilitated by a World Rugby Trainer who arrived in Accra last Saturday.
The trainer, Mr Robert Bwali from Uganda arrived in Accra to conduct the week-long series of Sevens Rugby Courses at the Accra Sports Stadium. The training started on Monday 14 August 2017.
The courses, supported by Olympic Solidarity under the auspices of the Ghana Olympic Committee, will include a Level 1 Sevens Rugby Coaching Course, a Level 1 Sevens Rugby Match Officiating Course and a Level 1 Strength and Conditioning Course.
The coach of the Ghana national Rugby team, Mr Lovemore “Dallas” Kuzorera says the clinic is important and a step in the right direction.
“Ghana Rugby has adopted a Development Plan (GRDP) based on the principles as outlined in World Rugby’s “Get Into Rugby” programme, and the principles embodied in the Irish LTPD (Long Term Player Development) model. It is important that these guidelines are used in practice to improve Rugby development in a structured way,” Kuzorera said.
The Coaches Clinic will also include classroom sessions that will include discussions around the challenges that Ghana Rugby coaches face and the understanding of the key performance indicators of a Rugby coach, as well as an in-depth look at the way the 76-page GRDP should be used as development guideline.
The afternoon practical sessions will looke at the assessment of players’ conditioning based on the South African BokSmart guidelines as well as a session on the tactics of restarting a match.
“The conditioning of players has become a highly specialised and indeed scientific area that receives much attention in especially top tier high-performance unions and involves the assessment of player’s fitness, speed, endurance, agility and strength. It is only through a proper assessment that one can focus in on the development needs of each player,” Kuzorera said.
The President of Ghana Rugby, Mr Herbert Mensah, says the training and education are fundamental to the future success of Ghana Rugby and will always be very high on his agenda.
“Rugby in Ghana is in its infant shoes, and without proper training and education our development teams will never be able to lay the essential basic foundation and understanding of the Game, let alone the more advanced high-performance tricks of the trade,” Mensah said.
The Coaching Clinic will also be conducted in Cape Coast on Saturday 19 August 2017 and will be attended by World Rugby Trainer, Robert Bwali.
