Stanbic Black Pirates wrapped up the regular season of the 2025 men’s Uganda Rugby Premiership with a commanding victory over Rhinos at Legends on Saturday evening.
The Sea Robbers deployed their lethal “bomb squad” substitutes to turn a 10-07 halftime score into a 49-10 result.
Before the break, it was a try apiece for both teams— Arthur Opio for Rhinos in the sixteenth minute and Umar Duff for Pirates just before the half hour mark— plus a conversion by Ivan Kirabo and a penalty by William Nkore.
But after the break, Rhinos only managed a solitary penalty by Kirabo.
Pirates ran in a whopping six tries to not only collect maximum points but also drown Rhinos at their own turf.
Haruna Mohammed, Eliphaz Emong, Timothy Kisiga, Nkore, Pius Ojeabulu, and Jones Kamiza got their names on the scoresheet.
Centurion Nkore, who made his 100th appearance for Pirates, added three conversions to his name. He was the Man Of The Match, to the delight of his teammates and fans.
Only Emong scored but the substitutes were absolutely unplayable. Especially playmaker and ex-captain Ivan Magomu who had a hand in four tries and assisted three.
While Rhinos stayed stuck in first gear on returning from the changing rooms, Pirates played with the handbrake off. And this credit would go to the visitors’ substitutes.
Full Round Eleven Results:
• Toyota Buffaloes 55-03 Elgon Wolves
• Platinum Credit Heathens 57-09 Kampani Eagles
• Rhinos 10-49 Stanbic Black Pirates
• Walukuba Barbarians 13-18 Victoria Sharks
• Jinja Hippos 23-24 KOBs
• Plascon Mongers 28-29 Warriors
Round Eleven marked the conclusion of the regular season. Pirates topped the table with forty-nine points while Elgon Wolves got the wooden spoon with zero.
The top eight teams will proceed to the Premiership Playoffs next Saturday while the bottom four will wait a fortnight to play the Relegation Playoffs.
