Pirates weather Heathens storm to reach third straight final

________________

Platinum Credit Heathens produced a spirited fightback to beat Stanbic Pirates 27-21 in the second leg of their Nile Special Rugby Premiership semi-final at Kings Park Arena in Bweyogerere on Saturday, but it was not enough to stop their rivals from marching into a third straight final with a 36-31 aggregate victory.

Trailing by 12 points heading into the decisive encounter, Heathens knew they needed a fast start, and they delivered exactly that.

Matthew Musasizi set the tone with an early penalty before Pirates responded through Roy Kizito.

Heathens and pirates players running onto the pitch

Musasizi then added two more penalties, while Joseph Oyet split the uprights with a drop goal as Heathens stormed into a 12-5 half-time lead, precisely the platform they needed to keep the tie alive.

But just as momentum appeared to swing their way, Pirates showed the calm and composure of a side with their eyes fixed firmly on the final.

The hosts struck early in the second half with two penalties to ease the pressure and claw their way back into the contest. Haruna Muhammad then powered over for a much-needed Pirates try to stretch the score to 18-12 on the day, before Patrick Okello and Jude Jjuko also crossed as Heathens continued to throw everything at Pirates.

In the end, Heathens did enough to win the match 27-21, but not enough to erase the first-leg deficit as Pirates held on to seal a 36-31 aggregate triumph and keep their title hopes alive.

“In terms of results, we have fallen short. It is not what we wanted, but if you look at where we were earlier on, this is good,” Onyango said.

For Pirates, meanwhile, it was another major hurdle cleared on the road to the championship.

“This means everything for us. We won’t play this sport forever, so whatever God gives us is enough for us to go back and thank Him for being on His side and seeing us through to the final. It is also a good way to honour our fallen brother,” Pirates’ Timothy Kisiga said.

Pirates will now face Buffaloes in the final after the latter eliminated Impis in the other semi-final.

“We are very grateful and we are looking forward to the final. It is going to be a proper match. Buffaloes have been a very consistent side this season; they are very well structured, and the young boys they have have a lot of fire within them,” Kisiga added.

Heathens coach Tolbert Onyango admitted disappointment at falling short but took pride in the strides his side has made.