Blackrock Rugby Festival
The Blackrock Rugby Festival (also known as the St. Mary's Blackrock Festival or simply Blackrock), is an annual school's rugby union competition held at St. Mary's School in Nairobi, Kenya, usually around 17 and 23 May. It is claimed to be the biggest high school tournament in East Africa. The first tournament took place in 1983, and also featured a club rugby competition. The tournament is used by Kenyan rugby clubs to scout for new and upcoming players. St. Mary's School was founded in 1939 and, for many years, was run by the Holy Ghost Fathers of Blackrock College in Ireland, hence the name of the tournament. The school uses the same badge as Blackrock College and their rugby team also wear the same blue and white hoops as their sister institution. A further reminder of the strong Irish influence on the school is the former name of their playing fields where the tournament takes place, Lansdowne Road (named after the Irish national rugby stadium in Dublin). The Blackrock Festival is a key event where future rugby stars in Kenya are identified, nurtured, and given the platform to shine. The Most Valuable Players from this festival have gone on to