The 2024 Rugby Africa Cup is set to take place from July 18 to 28 at Mandela National Stadium, Namboole, and Muteesa II Stadium, Wankulukuku.
NBS Sport will provide full coverage of the tournament, broadcasting all 12 games across the three game days, featuring four matches each day.
This prestigious tournament will see the top eight teams in Africa, including hosts Uganda, Kenya, holders Namibia, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Ivory Coast, Senegal, and Burkina Faso, competing for continental glory.
Ivan Magomu, the captain of the Uganda Men’s XVs and a player for the Black Pirates, shared his thoughts on this monumental opportunity for Uganda during an appearance on NBS Sport’s evening program yesterday.
“It’s a very big honour. This is the AFCON of Rugby and it’s happening in Uganda. So, it’s a big tournament, and we have eight top-tier teams that are coming to compete, and we’re all looking forward to it,” Magomu expressed.
He highlighted the significance of the tournament for the players, stating that it will be an opportunity for them to showcase their prowess.
“The tournament is going to be a window for so many opportunities for the boys to showcase their talents and for us as a country to raise our game on the continental stage. Lots of opportunities are coming up. People are starting to notice that Uganda has talent. We’re having this tournament at home.”
Magomu also emphasized the broader impact of the event: “The opportunities are not only for the players but for the whole community at large. We just have to go and give it our all and leave the rest to God.”
In preparation for the Rugby Africa Cup, the Uganda Rugby Cranes embarked on an intensive 10-day training camp in Gauteng, South Africa, at the end of last month.
Although Magomu did not join the squad in South Africa, he acknowledged the benefits the training camp had on the team.
“They have been able to bulk up, starting from the smallest guy. Their confidence has gone up and they got some experience.”
Based on the preparations, Magomu assured fans that the team would perform well at the tournament, stating that the current Rugby Cranes XVs team is the most prepared in recent history.
“The last cohort that had such preps in 2015 performed very well. The Rugby Cranes that were Africa champions in 2007 went through the same and were able to beat Namibia.”
“It’s been a long time since a Rugby Cranes team prepared in such a way that we have prepared for the Rugby Africa Cup,” he added.
Rugby Cranes head coach Fred Mudoola on Sunday named a 28-man squad that will participate in the Rugby Africa Men’s Cup after a five-day residential training camp.
Captain Magomu spoke highly of the squad that will be led by him, with Byron Oketayot and Conrad Wanyama as vice-captains, saying, “It’s really exciting. In the squad, we have a balance of senior players and young talents. We can see young chaps like Jones Kamiza, there’s a lot of promise going forward.”
The 28-man XVs squad also includes only three Rugby 7s players: Phillip Wokorach, Alex Aturinda, and Timothy Kisiga. Magomu explained why the coach selected only three Rugby 7s players.
“It is a big tournament (Rugby Africa Cup). The Rugby Union wanted to have the 7s boys in but unfortunately when we went to camp, it’s only Alex that turned up. Kisiga and Wokorach were already in the squad,” he said.
Meanwhile, in an exciting development, MTN MoMo Uganda Limited yesterday announced a partnership with the Uganda Rugby Union to facilitate convenient and accessible ticketing for the Rugby Africa Cup.
Rugby fans can access tickets to watch the upcoming games at discounted prices of UGX 10,000 for ordinary, UGX 40,000 for VIP, and UGX 150,000 for VVIP, by dialing *165*20# on MTN.
