OUR MEN'S PROGRAMME (2014-PRESENT DAY)

The birth of the HANetf National team (named the Leopards) came 7 years after the introduction of the game to the country. In 2014 Ghana Rugby League assembled an All Stars team and National select side to take on the Great Britain Student Pioneers in Accra in a Two Test Series. The performance programme in the country then went on hiatus up until the lead in to the MEA Championships  in 2019, when the National team were selected and went on to compete in their first ever sanctioned matches versus Nigeria and Cameroon. 

COVID UPDATE - The pandemic brought to a halt all activity in 2020 with no international fixtures being played. With the game returning in 2021, the MEA tournament was still on pause, and RLFG were able to complete a significant domestic performance programme detailed below. 

As the RLFG managed the exit of the pandemic, with club activity returning and more players engaging in the game than ever before, the HANetf National team and the Leopards have gone from strength to strength. After a successful Origin Series to unearth the best 20 domestic players, the National Team faced off against the Presidents XIII in September, which was broadcast live for the first time ever on GTV+. Interest has continued to accelerate with Oxford University being the first true student rugby league side to tour West Africa in July of 2022.

Both the Presidents XIII and the Hanetf National team took on Oxford University Rugby League Club, the Blues defeating a valiant Presidents XIII, then being outmuscled by the Leopards to succumb their first ever loss whilst on tour. The back end of 2022 will now turn our attention to the Middle East Africa Rugby League Championships as we face off against Kenya, then Nigeria or Cameroon. 

In it's short history the National Team has also welcomed Heritage Players from both the UK and Australia, and if you have links through Ghanaian parents and or grandparents, you will be eligible to represent Ghana. We are currently ranked 31 in the World via the  IRL system. 

GHANA ALL STARS

In the summer of 2014, the Great Britain Pioneers travelled to Ghana to further promote the sport and strengthen ties with the emerging Rugby League nation. The week long tour saw the group of UK students coach within schools and communities alongside spreading the name of Rugby League across the city. The Pioneers played one warm up game and two tests against Ghana. 

On the 6th July at the El-Wak Sports Stadium in Accra, a Ghana ‘All Stars’ team played against the Great Britain Student Pioneers in a warm up match, the GB Pioneers victorious by 48-10.

First Test: GB Pioneers 46 - 4 Ghana Rugby League

Second Test: GB Pioneers 34 - 6 Ghana Rugby League

Ghana's first Head Coach was England's Martin Crick.

The Middle East Africa Rugby League Championships 2019 and 2022

In 2019, the Ghana National Rugby League team were selected to partake in the Middle East Africa Rugby League Championship to be hosted in Lagos, Nigeria, from October 3-6, the hosts being Nigeria Rugby League. After an initial training camp at the University of Ghana, a travelling squad of 20 players and 5 staff made their way to Nigeria on Tuesday October 1. On Wednesday October 2, the Ghana National team made history competing in their first ever sanctioned international test match versus Nigeria. Nigeria, who went on to be crowned MEA Champions won that contest 24-10.

On Saturday October 5, 2019, both Ghana and Cameroon’s National Rugby League teams again made history when they competed in the first sanctioned international between the 2 nations. Both Ghana and Cameroon were defeated by Nigeria and Morocco respectively in the first round of the Championships, continuing on to the Bronze medal match, Ghana securing victory in the last minutes of the game 10 – 4.  

The final placing results of the 2019 MEA Championships for both Ghana and Cameroon resulted in neither team being eligible for the 2020 MEA Championships to be held in Pretoria, South Africa from October 13-17 2020. The 4 nations in attendance were to be Nigeria (current champions), Morocco (runners up), South Africa (hosts) and Lebanon.

COVID UPDATE: With the 2020 MEA Championships being cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, the Ghana National Rugby League team now look to qualifying for the 2022 tournament. 

With the emergence of the Origins Cup, a 3 game series for National team selection took place in September 2021 with the announcement of the National team in October. 

The National team will now go on to face Oxford University Rugby League in July in the build up to the 2022 MEA. 

GHANA v CAMEROON 2019