With just days to go before their crunch opener against Kenya, the Rugby Cranes assistant coach Leonard Lubambula says the squad is united, confident, and “100% ready” for the Rugby Africa Cup quarterfinal at Namboole.
Speaking from camp, Lubambula struck an upbeat tone as the final 28-man squad entered its last phase of preparations.
“The mood in camp is very positive. The boys are up to task. They’re focused on the prize,” he said.
“We’ve developed close unity and strong cohesion, especially with the few new faces who joined compared to last year.”
Lubambula credited the recent trial and test games in Southern Africa with sharpening the squad’s chemistry, helping them find rhythm ahead of the high-stakes knockout format of the tournament.
“Those matches gave us an edge in terms of building cohesion,” he explained.
The Rugby Cranes face archrivals Kenya on Tuesday, July 8 at 4 p.m., a fixture that Lubambula described not just as a quarterfinal, but a derby with deep emotional stakes.
“It’s always toe to toe with Kenya. We’ve faced them in tough matches before, including in France. They had the edge then, but the gap has really closed,” he noted.
He ended with a rallying cry to fans. “I promise you victory. The boys are ready for it. All I ask is that you come out, fill Namboole, and support these boys. Your voices, your presence—it pushes them harder. It matters.”
The Cranes enter the bubble on Sunday and will spend their final days fine-tuning strategies on home turf, hoping to write a fresh chapter in their rivalry with the Simbas.
