Black Stallions' Coach Steve Lewis advocates for regular competition among local clubs

Posted : 07 July 2024

Steve Lewis, the coach of Nigeria's senior men's national rugby team, the Black Stallions, has emphasized the need for regular competition to enhance the team's performance.

In an interview, Lewis highlighted the challenges the team faced due to integrating eight new players and the diverse origins of the squad.

"The team is entering the competition with eight new players from different parts of the world," Lewis explained.

"We have four players from Nigeria: Christopher Daniel John, Etim Gabriel, Sam Esukuloh Prince, and Akpabio Samuel. Six players are from the United Kingdom: Dodo Boluwatife, Richard Adeniyi-Jones, Olaboye Faisal Ayomide, Ilube Matthew, Obano Oghenesuvwe Osereme, Kitto Oliver Lewis, and Anthony John-Oluwatobiloba. One player is from the United States: Henry-Ajudua Frederick, and one from South Africa: Odunlami Oluwadara.

This diversity has affected our performance, but with one more week together to build bonds, the second leg will be different."

Lewis acknowledged the difficulties faced due to the lack of time to blend the new players with the regulars.

"We are entering this tournament with eight new players, and we didn't have enough time to integrate them because some flew in from Nigeria, some from the United Kingdom, one from the United States, and one from South Africa.

"Five of our regular players couldn't make it to this tournament, which really affected our team chemistry.

"We aim to improve, especially as we look forward to the second leg."

He also stressed the importance of regular competitions for the team's development.

"Competitions like these are beneficial for us.

"They help the team understand each other better, and we can leverage our performance to build something great going forward."

Lewis further mentioned the need to develop a game plan that suits the resources available to the team for future matches.

"We will devise a game plan that aligns with the resources at our disposal ahead of upcoming games."

Nigeria finished tenth in the first leg, dropping two places from their previous eighth-place finish.

However, the team has been working on improving their performance by addressing the weaknesses noticed in the first leg.

They have increased their training time to improve team cohesion and have been analyzing match videos with the help of a video analyst to enhance their strategies.

With these efforts, the Black Stallions aim for a stronger performance in the second leg of the Africa Nations Cup.

Black Stallions' Coach Steve Lewis advocates for regular competition among local clubs

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