The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation has announced a Scotsman, Steve Lewis, as Nigeria’s rugby head coach.
The head of the rugby federation, Dr. Are Ademola, announced this on Wednesday after the World Rugby reinstated Nigeria on the international stage.
Steve Lewis was the Director of Rugby at Championship-winning New York Major League Rugby Club. He was named USA Rugby Coach of The Year in 2016 and 2019.
He was the coach of the Jamaica Sevens until the 2020 World Challenger Series—Olympic Repechage, and he is currently the technical advisor for Brazil’s National Rugby Team.
Lewis has prior experience with Nigeria Rugby; ten years ago, he served as the Black Stallions’ head coach from 2012 to 2013. Under his leadership, Nigeria surmounted all obstacles to qualify for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
His first task will be to guide the national men’s and women’s teams to the pre-qualifying competitions for the 2024 Olympic Games in Mauritius and Zambia, which will take place in June and July, respectively.
These games are important since they mark Nigeria’s return to international rugby since 2019.
On June 24 and 25, twelve nations will assemble in Mauritius to fight for four spots in the Africa Cup Sevens, which will take place in Zimbabwe in September. Mauritius, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Botswana, Cameroon, Algeria, and Nigeria are just a few of the participating countries in the tournament. Other countries include Egypt, Burundi, Lesotho, Congo, and Senegal.
The Nigeria women’s sevens squad and other African women’s teams will assemble in Zambia on July 1 and 2 to compete for the three open spots in the Africa Women’s Cup Sevens, which will take place in Tunisia in October.
“I look forward to playing a part in Nigeria’s return to international competition, and laying down good foundations for a new generation of Nigerian players and coaches,” Lewis said after his appointment.
