Rugby Cranes show soccer how to do it
Jul 08, 2007
OPINION<br><br><b>By Joseph Opio</b><br>SPORTS WRITER<br><br>THE Rugby Cranes are fast-turning into every sports scribe’s nightmare. Yayiro Kasasa’s troops threaten to deplete superlatives with each new conquest.
OPINION
By Joseph Opio
SPORTS WRITER
THE Rugby Cranes are fast-turning into every sports scribe’s nightmare. Yayiro Kasasa’s troops threaten to deplete superlatives with each new conquest.
A fortnight after they demolished the much-heralded Namibians, the Cranes stormed Lusaka and humbled Zambia to qualify for the semifinals of Africa’s most prestigious rugby showpiece.
And while submerging them in more acclaim after their latest success feels a tad monotonous, one could be remiss not to hail these all-conquering heroes.
It’s rare that a Ugandan sports outfit triumphs on the road — especially with so much at stake! Against Zambia, Uganda stood on the threshold of history — with an unprecedented berth in the last four coyly beckoning.
That’s just the sort of situation that might have triggered a crippling sense of stage-fright and turned our rugby lads into a quivering pack of nerves.
Those with more reliable memories will recall the mass panic attack that befell rugby’s soccer cousins during a Nations Cup qualifier against Rwanda in 2003.
Yet, while errors were inevitable in Lusaka, the Rugby Cranes displayed sufficient temperament to overcome the nerves, the mistakes and their more disciplined opponents comfortably.
Just the kind of character Laszlo Csaba and his lot will require in their Nations Cup decider against the soccer featherweights from Niger come September 8.
By Joseph Opio
SPORTS WRITER
THE Rugby Cranes are fast-turning into every sports scribe’s nightmare. Yayiro Kasasa’s troops threaten to deplete superlatives with each new conquest.
A fortnight after they demolished the much-heralded Namibians, the Cranes stormed Lusaka and humbled Zambia to qualify for the semifinals of Africa’s most prestigious rugby showpiece.
And while submerging them in more acclaim after their latest success feels a tad monotonous, one could be remiss not to hail these all-conquering heroes.
It’s rare that a Ugandan sports outfit triumphs on the road — especially with so much at stake! Against Zambia, Uganda stood on the threshold of history — with an unprecedented berth in the last four coyly beckoning.
That’s just the sort of situation that might have triggered a crippling sense of stage-fright and turned our rugby lads into a quivering pack of nerves.
Those with more reliable memories will recall the mass panic attack that befell rugby’s soccer cousins during a Nations Cup qualifier against Rwanda in 2003.
Yet, while errors were inevitable in Lusaka, the Rugby Cranes displayed sufficient temperament to overcome the nerves, the mistakes and their more disciplined opponents comfortably.
Just the kind of character Laszlo Csaba and his lot will require in their Nations Cup decider against the soccer featherweights from Niger come September 8.