The Nigeria Black Stallions were left reeling after a 24-19 defeat to Ghana in their final game of the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup Repechages.

The loss, which marked another setback for Nigerian rugby, saw coach Steven Lewis voiced out his deep frustration over both the result and his team’s performance.

“I’m very disappointed with the performance. Lots of individual errors. A game we felt we could have won and should have won,” Lewis said after the game.

“Congratulations to Ghana, they won, deserve to win, credit to them.”

The coach did not hold back in his analysis, admitting that despite Ghana’s strong performance, Nigeria had missed an opportunity to clinch victory.

“So a disappointing day for us, we have to go home and reflect, see what we did. But once again, congratulations to Ghana,” he added.

Captain Babajide Tunde, however, promised fans that the Black Stallions would bounce back.

“Ghana played very, very well but I think we didn’t play up to as good as we—I know we can play, and we know we can play,” Tunde said.

“We will go back to the drawing board, come back whenever the next set of games come, and yeah, we’ll come back better. But credit to Ghana.”

The loss, marking back-to-back defeats for Nigeria in the Repechages, concludes what has been a rollercoaster year for rugby in the country.

Despite the setbacks, Tunde’s resolve suggests that the Black Stallions are determined to rise again.