By Douglas Mazune

THE 2013 Nile Special Rugby League has been repackaged, creating a spark in the second half of the competition.

The home and away format is no more. Instead, what would have been the second round is a knockout of contest.

Uganda Rugby Union (URU) secretary Alex Kalimugogo, who also heads the technical committee, told New Vision Sport that the top four teams will have a semi-final playoff ahead of a final, whose winner will become the champion. The bottom four teams will also have a playoff to determine the fifth and sixth positions.

“We thought the league was due for a new idea to make it more interesting. There’s now a climax to the league. Prize money has increased by sh10m,” Kalimugogo explained.

No home advantage

The top four teams will play only four games at home while those in the bottom half will only host three games each. 

Once a team loses away it has no chance to avenge defeat at home unlike in the past.

Addressing time constraint

A full first round of the league and shortening the second half through a knockout contest saves time to make for the two-week delay of kick-off. 

The league could not kick off on January 12 due to the unavailability of Legends Kampala Rugby Club then.