The 2024 Rugby Africa Cup gave us a surprise package, Algeria. Currently ranked 54th in the world, the Lion Cubs exceeded all expectations last year, reaching the final of the Rugby Africa Cup, beating Ivory Coast and higher-ranked Kenya on the way there, climbing from the 69th position.
This year, the goal is to obviously win the tournament and qualify for the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, but another final finish would be good enough to qualify them for the Africa-Asia playoff game.
To achieve this, players like Serge Julien Caminati, who stood out for Lion Cubs last year, will have to perform way above and beyond their limits.
This year, the Algerians do not have the benefit of the element of surprise, as all their likely opponents are now familiar with their game. They face Ivory Coast in the quarterfinals, the same team they convincingly defeated last year at the same stage. Should they repeat last year’s result, they’ll likely meet Namibia at the semifinal stage.
Of the 23 Algerian players who played the final last year, 20 are based in France, with winger Nadir Megdoud plying his trade in the French Top 14 with Bayonne Rugby Club.
Algeria shall heavily be banking on these players with international experience, who guided them to the final last year, to do the same or even better this year.