[2] The Zambia Rugby Football Union has 9880 registered players and three formally organised clubs.
[3] The governing body is the Zambia Rugby Football Union, which was founded in 1965, and affiliated to the IRFB in 1995.
Thus the Rhodesias not only became and remain the only non test side country in the world to beat the All Blacks but also one of only 7 national sides (the others being test nations - British Lions, South Africa, Australia, France, Ireland and Argentina) to have won a series against them too.
Brune (Mufulira) In 1960, New Zealand returned to play a match on 29 June in Kitwe, Northern Rhodesia against a Rhodesian "A" side and narrowly won 9-13 and then again on 2 July at Glamis Park, Salisbury with a full Rhodesia side losing 14 to 29, though gave the All Blacks a scare yet again, with the game being tied 6 all by half time.
Other players from that era were Ronnie Hill and Des van Jaarsveld who started their rugby careers in Northern Rhodesia before moving south Van Jaarsveld went on to captain the Springboks just the once against Scotland and became the first Springbok captain who could not speak a word of Afrikaans!
This was largely due to the number of excellent rugby players (Springboks amongst them) working on the Copperbelt at the time.
The Zambia national rugby sevens team has beaten Italy and Canada,[citation needed] and came within 30 seconds of upsetting Australia, in the end narrowly losing 11-12.
The season runs from March to October and consists of a period of time for league matches, a break for sevens rugby.
The league continues again in July and generally runs through to October when the knock out cup competition takes place.
On the Great North Road between Lusaka and the Copperbelt is the town of Kabwe, home of Green Eagles Rugby Club.
Other teams are Kanshanshi in Solwezi, Prison Leopards in Kabwe while Kitwe Playing Fields and Chandesi have clubs in their respective towns.
[citation needed] Bob Hesford, born in Luanshya played for England gaining his first cap against Scotland at Twickenham on 21 February 1981.