ACCRA, Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- Officials of the Ghana national Rugby team, the Ghana Eagles, are beaming with confidence ahead of the Rugby Africa 2018 Men's sevens tournament which begins in Monastir, Tunisia on Saturday.

Herbert Mensah, President of Ghana Rugby Football Union, said that the team's mission is to surprise everybody but the task ahead is challenging, cautioning supporters to be realistic in their expectations for the competition.

According to him, this is only the second appearance of the Ghana Eagles in the Rugby Africa Men's Elite Sevens while most other teams have been around for quite some time.

"The Eagles are without a doubt still the 'new kids on the block' and definitely the underdogs. We should note that many more illustrious nations have not been invited to this tournament" Mensah said, expressing the hope that the team will go beyond the pool stage against Senegal and Uganda and stand a chance to get to at least the eighth position but that goal in itself will be tough to reach.

"Uganda was the 2017 winners in Kampala-Uganda and took part in both the Word Rugby Sevens Series and the World Rugby Sevens Cup this year. We all know that Senegal has a proud history of exceptional performance. Getting beyond the Pool Stage will not be easy at all," he said.

The Ghana Eagles Men's Sevens Team managed to rank ninth in their very first appearance of the African tournament in Kampala, Uganda last year.

The 2018 Rugby Africa Men's Sevens Tournament in Tunisia will see 12 teams competing in a grueling battle of skills for the coveted African Champions crown.