Two sets of changes have been made to the men’s pools for the 2025 Rujumba 7s set to be played this weekend from August 30-31 at Kings Park.
First; a re-draw to keep hosts Stanbic Black Pirates and their second string side Sailors separate in the pools.
The re-draw was done to avoid situations in which team under the same parent rugby club could face each other during the round-robin phase; with a likelihood of influencing results going into the knockouts.
Recent examples include Walukuba Barbarians and Walukuba Titans at the 2024 Kyabazinga 7s, Toyota Buffaloes and Bisons at the 2024 Kyadondo 7s, plus as far back as 2021 when Pirates and Sailors were both core sides.
Thus, after the re-draw done live on the ‘Sport This Morning’ show on NBS Sport on Tuesday morning, Sailors have swapped with Jaguars from Pool D to Pool C.
The second change is the withdrawal of two non-core invitational teams; Warriors and Impis, from the tournament.
This is the third successive tournament this year where an invitational team from the Central Region has withdrawn from the series.
Warriors and Impis have respectively been replaced by Boks and Rams II who are KOBs’ and Rams’ second string sides respectively.
New Men’s Pools for the 2025 Rujumba 7s (non-core invitational team*):
• POOL A: Heathens, Rams, Eagles, Boks*.
• POOL B: Buffaloes, Mongers, Hippos, Rams II*.
• POOL C: KOBs, Rhinos, Gulu City Falcons, Sailors*.
• POOL D: Walukuba Barbarians, Pirates, Elgon Wolves, Jaguars*.
On the other hand, the women’s pools are unchanged.
Women’s Pools for the 2025 Rujumba 7s (non-core invitational team*):
• POOL A: Nile Rapids, Thunderbirds, Black Pearls, Panthers*.
• POOL B: Avengers, She Wolves, Walukuba Titans, Ewes*.
No clear favourite has emerged in both the men’s and women’s competitions at the halfway point of the series. Buffaloes have a slim lead ahead of Walukuba and Heathens on the men’s table while Thunderbirds and Avengers are tied on top of the women’s table.
Next Media will continue our unmatched coverage of the 2025 Nile Special Uganda Rugby 7s Series with live broadcast of the Rujumba 7s on NBS Sport 2 and NBS Sport channels.
