Loss of sponsors forced Rugby Africa to cancel both its 2019 Gold Cup and Silver Cup tournaments.
The decision was made following the premature termination of a contract between it and Kwese Sport. Rugby Africa says termination left a huge gap in the 2019 budget.
Rugby Africa released a statement saying it is now working with World Rugby on new a tournament to qualify African teams for the Rugby World Cup
The RA pledged to consult all unions in this process with the intention of releasing the final fixtures scheduled for 2020 in October 2019.
Despite the cancellation of the two tournaments, RA said it still has an obligation to organise Olympic Qualifiers for men and women for the 2020 Olympic Games and the first African Qualifier tournament for the 2021 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
In 2018, the winner of the Gold Cup tournament also secured direct qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan. The second-placed team joined teams from Europe, Asia and South America in the Repechage process for the final spot at the Rugby World Cup.
