Rugby league has been played for the first time in the Douala region of Cameroon. Four men’s teams, Bulls RL, Panda RL, Gorilla RL, Guepard RL, and four women’s sides, Raiders RL, Panda RL, Rock RL and Gorilla RL each contested a 9s tournament in front of over 200 fans.

Bulls took the men’s crown, defeating Gorilla 18-0 in their final, with Raiders also getting the better of Gorilla, 20-8, in the women’s decider.

Cameron national head coach, Khalil Njoya, commented: “The tournament was a great success, it was the first of its kind in the region and everyone involved loved what they saw. Although January is a tough month as everyone is just getting back to fitness after the holidays, we were able to make the Douala 9s a success and this allowed us to see what we will have to work on for the future. Next year we have the women’s MEA cup and the girls being this good so early on is telling us a lot.”