Uganda Rugby Cranes have clinched a hard-fought 25-15 victory over Burkina Faso in their 5th place semi-final of the Rugby Africa Cup at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole on Wednesday, July 24.
The win propels Uganda into the 5th place final where it will face-off against Senegal on Sunday.
Coming off a narrow 22-20 defeat to Zimbabwe in their opening quarter-final match, the Rugby Cranes were determined to bounce back.
Burkina Faso, too, were looking to recover after a humiliating 38-05 loss to defending champions Namibia.
Coach Alex Mudoola made strategic adjustments to Uganda’s lineup, bringing in Alex Aturinda and Joseph Aredo to replace Moses Zziwa and Jones Kamiza, who were sidelined with injuries sustained in the previous match.
The game that was live on NBS Sport started off with Burkina Faso striking first with an early try, although they missed the conversion, taking a 5-0 lead just five minutes into the game.
Uganda quickly responded through a penalty by Philip Wokorach, who narrowed the score to 5-3.
In the 11th minute, Uganda took the lead with a try by Shakim Ssembusi, followed by a successful conversion by Wokorach, making it 10-5.
A second try by Wokorach, though without a successful conversion, extended Uganda’s lead to 15-5 at the 29-minute mark.
The Cranes, however, faced a setback when Asuman Mugerwa was sent to the sin bin in the 37th minute, reducing them to 14 men.
Burkina Faso capitalised on this and scored another try just before halftime, but failed to convert, bringing the score to 15-10 at the break.
The second half saw Uganda extend their lead with a penalty try at the 54-minute mark, making the score 22-10.
Burkina Faso continued to challenge Uganda’s defense, scoring another try at the 60-minute mark, though they again missed the conversion, closing the gap to 22-15.
Uganda sealed their victory with a final penalty by Wokorach, pushing the score to 25-15.
Despite Burkina Faso’s persistent efforts in the latter minutes, Uganda’s defense held firm to advance to the 5th place final.
After the game, Philip Wokorach, who contributed significantly to the Rugby Cranes’ victory expressed what enabled them to make the comeback and emerge victorious.
“We learnt from the mistakes we made, and also worked harder on the positives we had. Today, going into the game with Burkina Faso, we knew that they’d be a tricky and hard team, but we had to keep our composure. Yes they scored first but we came back stronger and led the game till the end,” he said.
He was also full of praise for the fans that came in large numbers to rally behind the team, and called them upon to come and support the Rugby Cranes on Sunday.
“Thank you so much for the support, because that’s what drives us to give you all the best that we can. Today we heard them (fans) loud and clear and they pushed us till the end.” Wokorach said.
“We’re having another game on Sunday, please come out in big numbers and support. That is what really pushes us to do better,” he added.
The Rugby Cranes will be aiming to atleast finish fifth in this years edition of the Rugby Africa Cup when they face Senegal, who defeated Ivory Coast 25-08 in the first 5th place semi-final of the day. Wokorach expressed optimism ahead of the game.
“Our game plan is going one game at a time, and every game is a final. We want to finish on a high and that is our goal. Come Sunday, we’re going to give it our all, and we’re looking for a win.”
The 5th place final is scheduled for Sunday, July 28 at 12 pm at Namboole Stadium and will be broadcast live on NBS Sport.
