Uganda has climbed one spot in the updated Men’s World Rugby Rankings after finishing fifth at this year’s Rugby Africa Cup.
The Rugby Cranes, who were previously ranked 37th, have now moved up to 36th, following a commendable campaign that saw them register two wins and a narrow loss in the recently-concluded tournament hosted at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, from July 20 to 28.
Uganda kicked off their campaign with a narrow loss to eventual champions Zimbabwe on Saturday, July 20.
Despite trailing by 22 points in the first half, the Rugby Cranes mounted a heroic second-half comeback, ultimately falling short by just 2 points against the Sables.
Superb performances from Philip Wokorach and his brother Innocent Gwokto highlighted Uganda’s valiant effort.
Bouncing back from their opening-day loss, Uganda secured a 25-15 victory over Burkina Faso in their 5th-place semi-final of the Rugby Africa Cup on Wednesday, July 24.
Philip Wokorach once again delivered a stellar performance, leading the team to victory.
To cap off the tournament, Uganda edged out Senegal 34-31 in a thrilling fifth-place final on Sunday, decided by Joseph Aredo’s penalty in sudden death.
This one-place climb in the rankings means that Uganda has now surpassed their East African rivals Kenya, despite the latter finishing above Uganda in this year’s Rugby Africa Cup standings.
Kenya, who finished fourth after losing the third-place final against Namibia on Sunday, dropped three places in the World Rugby Rankings from 34th to 37th.
Rugby Africa Cup champions Zimbabwe have climbed two places to 28th. The Sables were ranked 30th before the tournament.
Algeria, who had an impressive campaign to reach the finals, have climbed six places from 64th to 58th in the rankings.
The Lion Cubs of North Africa reached the final by defeating Kenya 20-12 in the semi-finals, while Zimbabwe caused an upset by beating nine-time champions Namibia for the first time in 23 years.
Senegal, previously 62nd, have also climbed six places and now stand at 56th after finishing sixth in the Rugby Africa Cup.
Namibia, historically Africa’s powerhouse in the Rugby Africa Cup, were displaced by Russia, dropping from 24th to 25th.
Ivory Coast, which finished seventh in the Rugby Africa Cup, dropped six places from 56th to 62nd.
Men’s World Rugby Rankings are determined by a ‘Points Exchange’ system, where teams gain or lose points based on match results, factoring in the relative strength of each team, the victory margin, and home advantage.
