The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation have appointed Steve Lewis as head coach of the senior male and female rugby national teams.
The Scotsman previously coached the Black Stallions between 2012 and 2013, and qualified them for the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Lewis’ first task will be to lead the men’s and women’s Sevens teams in the 2024 Olympic pre-qualifiers in Mauritius and Zambia in June and July respectively.
The men’s event in Mauritius will see 12 teams compete for four spots at the Africa Cup Sevens billed for Zimbabwe in September while the women’s event in Zambia will provide three berths for the Africa Women’s Cup Sevens in Tunisia in October.
These outings will serve as the first international event for Nigeria Rugby since 2019.
“I look forward to playing a part in Nigeria’s return to international competition, and laying down good foundations for a new generation of Nigerian players and coaches” Lewis said on his appointment.
NIGERIA RUGBY APPOINTS STEVE LEWIS AS NATIONAL TEAMS HEAD COACH
The NRFF is pleased to announce the appointment of Scotsman; Steve Lewis as Head coach of the senior National Teams.
The rugby federation’s president, Dr Are Ademola made this known on Wednesday pic.twitter.com/1OYog4RMEo
— Nigeria Rugby ???????????? (@NigeriaRugby1) May 11, 2023
Lewis previously coached the Jamaica Sevens team, leading them to the World Challenger Series -Olympic Repechage in 2020.
He is currently a consultant with the Brazil national rugby team and a director at Major League Rugby champions, Rugby New York.
Nigeria Rugby was recently re-admitted to the sport by the global governing body, World Rugby, after issuing a suspension for political interference during the last sports federation elections held in 2021.
