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The Moroccan rugby team will host Uganda on 27 May in its first-leg match for the 2006 African Cup of Nations, the Moroccan Royal Rugby Association said on Wednesday (7 December). The Moroccan team -- defending African champs -- is in Group A with Uganda and Côte d'Ivoire, while Group B comprises Tunisia, Namibia and Kenya. The 2006 African champion will automatically qualify for the 2007 Rugby World Cup finals in France. The runner-up will have to play qualifying games with two European and Latin American teams. (Angola Press)


Morocco was placed in Group A of the 2006 Africa Rugby Cup with Côte d'Ivoire and Uganda, the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) announced. Tunisia will play in Group B alongside Namibia and Kenya. The African nations' tournament previously consisted of nine teams, but this year it will include 12 national sides, divided into four groups.

The CAR has decided that the games involving Group A and Group B will count as qualifiers for the 2007 Rugby World Cup to be held in France. The two group winners will meet in a two-leg final to qualify for the World Cup. (Morocco Times, La Presse)