Platinum Credit Heathens will host KCB KOBs on Saturday afternoon during Round Ten of the 2025 men’s Uganda Rugby Premiership.
This is the oldest and fiercest club rugby rivalry in Uganda. It is dubbed the ‘Lions Pride Cup’ because it pits the two most successful rugby clubs in the country.
Heathens (17) and KOBs (13) have won a combined thirty league/premiership titles in the thirty-four-year history of the competition since 1990.
Although these two great clubs enjoy a stacked history, they are currently on two extreme ends of the form chart.
Heathens have had their worst season since 2018. They lost three successive matches and sit in fourth place on the table. They might have scored the second-highest tally of tries (49), but they are also in the lower half of tries conceded (20). Additionally, their kickers Marvin Asaba and Malcolm Okello have left a great deal of points on the pitch; kicking 38 conversions and just five penalties at a paltry 63% and 55% accuracy.
On the other hand, KOBs have walked with a spring in their step since the shocking first-round defeat. They are on a nine-match winning streak and sit in second place on the table. They might have scored one try less than Heathens, but they have the joint-best defence, leaking only 14 tries. Plus, Joseph Aredo and Josaiah Ssempeke are leading all kickers with 80% success off the boot.
By the numbers, this is such an opportune time for KOBs to change the tide in the Lions Cup. Heathens have won eight of the last ten meetings but KOBs can go back-to-back for the first time in ages.
But the numbers can be deceptive and cannot be relied upon alone. Like derbies, historic rivalries do not care much about form and statistics.
This is going to be a match where statistics will not matter much more than emotions. The pressure of the atmosphere and the fixture is going to blow the lid off.
What will matter is how the players feel when they walk into the packed Kyadondo Rugby Club when going through their warmups on opposite ends of the pitch when they stand next to each other in the tunnel when they run onto the pitch for kickoff, and for the full eighty minutes of the match.
Players in clubs like Heathens and KOBs — experienced or rookies, young or old — have the incredible ability to channel their inner spirits and play a remarkable game. That is what I expect to see in the Lions Cup this Saturday at Kyadondo.
Full Round Ten Fixtures (all local times EAT):
• Kyadondo – 2 p.m.: Kampani Eagles v Warriors
• Mbale – 4 p.m.: Elgon Wolves v Walukuba
• Entebbe – 4 p.m.: Plascon Mongers v Victoria Sharks
• Kyadondo – 4 p.m.: Platinum Credit Heathens v KCB KOBs
• Legends – 4 p.m.: Rhinos v Jinja Hippos
• Kings Park – 4 p.m.: Stanbic Black Pirates v Toyota Buffaloes
NBS Sport’s live broadcast of this weekend’s action will be from Kyadondo Rugby Club.
Data & statistics for this article have been provided by Isa Metrics.
