BY GRACE LINDSAY MBABAZI
Uganda’s Rugby Cranes faced a daunting challenge on day one of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series. The battle began, and the narrative unfolded.
Coach Tolbert Onyango: “We now have to depend on mathematics. The game started off well, good energy. We were in control of the game, we had a knock off at a very crucial point when we were in possession and attacking, and it changed the whole flow of the game. Thereafter, it was a one on one situation where we should have made a tackle; we missed that one. We had a yellow card, which was unnecessary in this kind of game. It’s hard to play with six players against a team like Kenya. A difficult day for us, and now we have to depend on mathematics to get to the quarters.”
A grim proclamation from the head coach echoed the trials that lay ahead. Two adversaries awaited – Germany and the reigning Africa Sevens Champions, Kenya.
Germany, a force to be reckoned with, emerged victorious with a scoreline of 19-5. Roy Kizito, the pirates player , crossed the try line, offering a glimpse of resilience amid the storm.
A fiercer challenge awaited in the form of Kenya, Rugby Africa Cup Champions. The Cranes faced humiliation with a score of 29-7. The head coach, Tolbert Onyango, shared his perspective on the day’s trials.
“Difficult day for us , we now have to depend on mathematics to get to the quarters.”
Assistant Captain Adrian Kasito, who scored the only try against Kenya, summarized the day’s fixtures.
“It’s been a tough day one, we lost our game against Germany. We made a few errors, and the Germans capitalized on our mistakes, kept on piling points on the board. In the second game, we started well, but in the second half, we made errors, and it was very hard for us to catch up. We made the tournament hard for ourselves. Moving into day two, even with a very big margin, we shall have to keep praying for a miracle for us to end up in the quarters because the goal is to end up in the top four, that’s the goal for the 3 circuits.”
Aaron Ofworwoth etched Uganda’s name with a conversation on day one against kenya . The journey continues, and Mexico awaits in Ugandas last pool game.Day one may have been a trial by fire, but as the sun sets over Dubai, the Rugby Cranes prepare to rise again, fueled by hope .
