Tunisia’s Under-20 rugby team has arrived in Uganda to begin an intensive build-up to the 2026 Rugby Africa Barthes Trophy, marking the start of an important high-performance collaboration between the two nations ahead of the continental championship.
The North Africans are scheduled to play two international trial matches against the Uganda Under-20 side before both teams embark on a series of joint training sessions in August.
The programme is expected to provide valuable match experience and technical exposure as the teams fine-tune their preparations for one of Africa’s premier age-grade rugby competitions.
The opening warm-up fixture will be played on Sunday, July 26, at the Kyadondo Rugby Grounds in Kampala. The two sides will then meet again on Thursday, July 30, with the venue for the second encounter yet to be confirmed by the organisers.
Beyond the competitive fixtures, the visit is designed to strengthen the longstanding rugby partnership between Uganda and Tunisia, with both unions committed to sharing expertise and raising performance standards through structured collaboration. The joint training camps will allow players and coaching staff to exchange ideas while sharpening tactical, technical and physical aspects of their game.
The relationship between the two rugby nations dates back to 2023, when the Rugby Cranes and Lady Cranes travelled to Tunisia for a pair of 15-a-side international matches. Those engagements laid the foundation for a Memorandum of Understanding between the two federations, aimed at fostering the growth and development of rugby across the African continent through regular exchanges and cooperation.
According to a statement issued by the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the 2026 Barthes Trophy, Tunisia’s visit is intended to enhance technical and performance development by providing both teams with competitive match action and a shared high-performance training environment ahead of the tournament.
“The Local Organizing Committee is honoured to host Tunisia prior to the tournament. These activities will also serve as a dress rehearsal for the main event as we work to deliver one of Africa’s best organised rugby competitions. On behalf of the LOC, I invite all Ugandans to support this significant initiative for the future of the sport,”
LOC Chairperson Sarah Adong said in part.
The preparatory activities will also provide organisers with an opportunity to test logistics, match operations and tournament readiness before the 2026 Barthes Trophy gets underway, ensuring both on-field and off-field systems are fully prepared for the prestigious continental event.
The collaboration between Uganda and Tunisia is set to continue beyond the men’s age-grade programme, with Tunisia’s Women’s Sevens team expected to travel to Uganda in September for a high-performance training camp alongside the Lady Cranes Sevens.
The camp will form part of both nations’ preparations for the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens Championship and further strengthen the growing rugby ties between the two countries.
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