Lessons from the Bamburi Super series
Apr 05, 2009
Uganda has debuted in the East Africa Bamburi super rugby series with mixed fortunes.<br><br>The Victoria franchise has not scored a single point conceding 58 points in 2 games while the Rwenzori franchise is still in the hunt with 2 scrappy victories,
Uganda has debuted in the East Africa Bamburi super rugby series with mixed fortunes.
The Victoria franchise has not scored a single point conceding 58 points in 2 games while the Rwenzori franchise is still in the hunt with 2 scrappy victories, the last one a narrow 19-17 victory over Buffaloes from Kenya.
Originally, Rwenzori had been selected as the senior national team to enable them gel ahead of the RWC qualifiers in June while Victoria was mainly a development side of youngsters trying to break into the national team.
This plan unfortunately got overtaken by events but there are still allot of positives despite the press sensationalising the absence of the bulk of Kobs players.
Make no mistake Kobs national team players will be available for national team duty contrary to what has been perceived from some press articles.
Opportunity for youngsters to shine
I would like to state that the absence of Kobs players presents a huge opportunity for many youngsters to get a feel of international rugby and they must grasp this opportunity with both hands.
I am on record and reiterate that international matches like Elgon Cup and the RWC qualifiers is no platform to start gambling on many new caps especially in sensitive player positions.
Bamburi rugby super series presents a unique opportunity of exposure for the youngsters.
I have watched with interest as youngsters like Joel Kimuli grow in stature; Paul Kabazi though still shaky in defense has some fantastic running angles, Timothy Dumba has played like an experienced forward.
Learning from their experienced seniors must be exciting, Seguya after 6 months of little or no rugby action is almost firing on all cylinders already even Brian Makalama who was substituted after 50 minutes but not before taking out 2 Buffaloes props who had to stretched off pitch.
Lessons for Uganda
On the down side Bamburi event has exposed Uganda’s lack of depth in quality and playing numbers.
Rwenzori in particular have struggled to maintain players on the bench.
This is partly linked to the fall in the number of international development tournaments Uganda has attended over the years.
Besides the annual U-19 CAR Africa Cup which Uganda failed to attend last year due to lack of funds, there are no U-21 or U-23 structures or international competitions that the country has competed in since 2006.
At a recent press conference, I was thus perturbed to listen to the URU president declare he is a fan of youngsters and they must be on the 2011 RWC team if we are to qualify! This has dangerous implications on the success of African Champions.
The Victoria franchise has not scored a single point conceding 58 points in 2 games while the Rwenzori franchise is still in the hunt with 2 scrappy victories, the last one a narrow 19-17 victory over Buffaloes from Kenya.
Originally, Rwenzori had been selected as the senior national team to enable them gel ahead of the RWC qualifiers in June while Victoria was mainly a development side of youngsters trying to break into the national team.
This plan unfortunately got overtaken by events but there are still allot of positives despite the press sensationalising the absence of the bulk of Kobs players.
Make no mistake Kobs national team players will be available for national team duty contrary to what has been perceived from some press articles.
Opportunity for youngsters to shine
I would like to state that the absence of Kobs players presents a huge opportunity for many youngsters to get a feel of international rugby and they must grasp this opportunity with both hands.
I am on record and reiterate that international matches like Elgon Cup and the RWC qualifiers is no platform to start gambling on many new caps especially in sensitive player positions.
Bamburi rugby super series presents a unique opportunity of exposure for the youngsters.
I have watched with interest as youngsters like Joel Kimuli grow in stature; Paul Kabazi though still shaky in defense has some fantastic running angles, Timothy Dumba has played like an experienced forward.
Learning from their experienced seniors must be exciting, Seguya after 6 months of little or no rugby action is almost firing on all cylinders already even Brian Makalama who was substituted after 50 minutes but not before taking out 2 Buffaloes props who had to stretched off pitch.
Lessons for Uganda
On the down side Bamburi event has exposed Uganda’s lack of depth in quality and playing numbers.
Rwenzori in particular have struggled to maintain players on the bench.
This is partly linked to the fall in the number of international development tournaments Uganda has attended over the years.
Besides the annual U-19 CAR Africa Cup which Uganda failed to attend last year due to lack of funds, there are no U-21 or U-23 structures or international competitions that the country has competed in since 2006.
At a recent press conference, I was thus perturbed to listen to the URU president declare he is a fan of youngsters and they must be on the 2011 RWC team if we are to qualify! This has dangerous implications on the success of African Champions.