Rwanda Underwater Hockey Club beat Tanzania Underwater club 5-4 in the friendly game played at Cercle Sport Ruganga over the weekend.
In game that attracted some fans in belief, RUWHC scored 4 ahead of the break before the visitors comeback in to the game to score two.
Just before the referee blew the final whistle Rwanda made it five while the Tz team scored two more goals however there was no time left for them to level the matters and the game ended 5-4 in favour of the hosts.
Nicolas Umuhizi a player and one of the initiators of the underwater hockey in Rwanda said “The game was charming, we won but the main objective was achieved since we had many visitors who watched how the game is played for the first time.’
“Our only worry was the rain but thanks it rained after the game. We have plans to re-visit Tz for a similar aim and just like what they have done.” He added
Jokingly, Tom Bishop the captain of the visiting side said, “We scored goals but unfortunately we conceded more goals than we scored. We are happy with the performance of our team and we look forward to hosting them in Dar es Salaam.”
When asked why they lost, the captain replied, “Technically, the game depends on the pools, the pool here has big slop, and shallow end. It’s a bit a challenge if you depend on it. If you’re trying to push it is quit difficulty.”
Bishop disclosed that in TZ they play in a bigger swimming pool, their game is more about passing, team-work rather than having to push to get up the goal. Rwanda has good mix of players who can stay underwater without snorkels for breathing, so there eyes are under water.
“They have experience inholding the breath, they are good players with commitment, but even if we conceded many goals today, the key defenders take sheer blame; if they come to Rwanda we shall show them our game.”
He further revealed that what we see in Kigali is that they have a good base of the requirement foundation, players are nationals, compared with Tz where underwater hockey is played by experts who come and go, and they are not sustainable. If we can get a good base the sports can develop in Tz in the next 10-12 years.
Aoifa Hegarty a consultant at Carnegie Mellon University at KIST but also plays for Rwanda hockey club. She wished if there many more other teams from the region, the sport could develop over time.
“It is an accessible sport to play, but spectating is another story. We need to use underwater cameras to observe and record games for the fans to watch how the game is played.”
“We have a long way to go, some have a small club that we play in, and we’re looking around for decent fine pools for training. Up until now, we haven’t hadthe pools of any kind. In brief the game against Tz was good.” Hegarty added
In return, RUWHC is planning a visit to TZ between May or before the end of June as both sides look forward to prompt and developing underwater hockey in the region.
Underwater is sport that was introduced in Rwanda two years ago, the sport is a 3 dimensional team sport played below the surface of the water in a swimming pool by two teams of 10 players, 6 in the water and 4 substitutes.
Each player wears basic underwater equipment, i.e. fins, mask, cap with ear protection and snorkel. The object of the game is to push or pass a weighted puck along the bottom of the pool by using an underwater hockey stick, into the opposing team’s goal.
Underwater Hockey (sometimes called Octopus) was invented in the 1950s by the British Navy in order to keep their divers in shape and to improve their efficiency under water.
It then became popularized in Australia before expanding across the world. The sport intertwines disciplines from both ice hockey and swimming in creating a competitive and fairly physical battle.
The object of underwater hockey is to successfully hit the puck into your opponent’s goal. The team that scores the most goals in the allotted time is then the winner.
Obviously the game is played totally underwater and players must remain underwater until a goal is scored. Only when a break in play for a goal or a foul is called by the referee may players then resurface.
Jejje Muhinde
RUWHC players take a break during the game against Gruppo Sub ospedale of Tanzania at Cercle (Photo/Jejje Muhinde)
Aoife Hegarty
April 20, 2016 at 14:00
Please note I do NOT say that we had no decent pools to play in. Cercle Sportif is a very good pool, I did say that we did not have much access to a pool for training.