Rugby Cranes ready to rumble

Apr 04, 2017

Uganda is the only team in Pool E with no prior experience of playing in this tournament

World Rugby Sevens Qualifiers

With the smell of competition lingering in the air, Phillip Wokorach and the national sevens team are on high alert like troopers in a minefield. 

After all, what awaits Uganda at the April 7-8 World Rugby Sevens Qualifiers in Hong Kong is nothing short of a tall order, where the only object is winning the 12-team tournament. 

"The mood in the camp is motivated and focused," Wokorach told New Vision Sport. "The coaches are doing everything to get us ready for competition." 

Uganda is the only team in Pool E with no prior experience of playing in this tournament, which may be another cause for pretournament uncertainty.  

Yet the experience of playing in the Dubai and Cape Town late last year left Tolbert Onyango's side with an idea of what is required to take another step forward, an idea that's informing their practice sessions ahead of Friday's opener against Tonga. 

"The team has been training on execution and air balls so that we can be more clinical during the games," remarked Wokorach. 

The addition to the set-up of strength and conditioning coach Geoffrey Kimani from Kenya is expected to pay dividends for Uganda, who are hoping to build on last year's Africa Rugby Sevens triumph. 

"It's an honour that we get a chance to contest in these qualifiers against good sides like Jamaica, Germany and Tonga, who have all been here before," added Wokorach, who turns out for Kenya's Kabras Sugar at club level. 

"We are debutants but this is just the beginning for us."

Host: Hong Kong

Dates: April 7 - 8

Pool E: Germany, Tonga, Uganda and Jamaica

Uganda fixtures

April 7 v Tonga

April 8 v Germany

April 5 v Jamaica

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});