It’s a Chester boost
Jul 09, 2006
<b>I SAY SO</b><br>THERE can be no better person to gauge Uganda’s new rugby technical director Chester Williams than national coach Yayiro Kasasa. Kasasa is not only arguably Uganda’s best rugby player ever, but the former Cranes and Kobs flanker has in recent years also matured into one of th
THERE can be no better person to gauge Uganda’s new rugby technical director Chester Williams than national coach Yayiro Kasasa. Kasasa is not only arguably Uganda’s best rugby player ever, but the former Cranes and Kobs flanker has in recent years also matured into one of the country’s top tacticians.
When I asked Kasasa, currently Williams’ assistant, for his assessment of the South African, he was full of praises.
If Kasasa were a soccer coach, you would have reason to worry for Williams. Intrigue is a catch word of Ugandan football where coaches on the same bench stab each other in the back. But that is not the case in rugby where team work is one of the key reasons this once exclusive sport has emerged into the country’s most successful disciplines. Besides, Kasasa is not only a modest man, but also someone very willing to learn thus his fair comment.
You had to be at Lugogo for the Uganda versus Ivory Coast 2007 World Cup qualifier to get a feel of the 1995 World Cup gold medalist’s effect on the rugby Cranes. Uganda beat fancied Ivory Coast 32-7. That the same Ivory Coast outfit had held Morocco, which whipped Uganda 36-3, said a lot about the changes in the Cranes.
Results of the new tactician’s presence on Uganda’s bench had started off with the Cranes’ triumph over South Africa in the plate category of the Safari Sevens. Williams is, besides installing a professional attitude in the team, also working on the tactical end of not only the senior side but also the under age teams.
The South African has, in a bid to boost the team’s tactical options, been emphasising the Springbok style of attack through the backline.
This style suites Ugandan players better than the initially preferred British approach of forwards for attack. This innovation coupled with specialisation of roles paid off with defeat of the largely bigger Ivory Coast players.
But whether Williams can take the Cranes to the next level of the qualifiers will depend on how he sets his side for battles with Morocco in Kampala and away against Ivory Coast. But trust the Ugandan attitude. “We can make it to World Cup,†said a confident Kasasa. The enthusiasm is understandable. Williams is one of the best rugby players ever, but also a world class coach. My prayer is that other sports administrators are following proceedings at Lugogo.
Ends
When I asked Kasasa, currently Williams’ assistant, for his assessment of the South African, he was full of praises.
If Kasasa were a soccer coach, you would have reason to worry for Williams. Intrigue is a catch word of Ugandan football where coaches on the same bench stab each other in the back. But that is not the case in rugby where team work is one of the key reasons this once exclusive sport has emerged into the country’s most successful disciplines. Besides, Kasasa is not only a modest man, but also someone very willing to learn thus his fair comment.
You had to be at Lugogo for the Uganda versus Ivory Coast 2007 World Cup qualifier to get a feel of the 1995 World Cup gold medalist’s effect on the rugby Cranes. Uganda beat fancied Ivory Coast 32-7. That the same Ivory Coast outfit had held Morocco, which whipped Uganda 36-3, said a lot about the changes in the Cranes.
Results of the new tactician’s presence on Uganda’s bench had started off with the Cranes’ triumph over South Africa in the plate category of the Safari Sevens. Williams is, besides installing a professional attitude in the team, also working on the tactical end of not only the senior side but also the under age teams.
The South African has, in a bid to boost the team’s tactical options, been emphasising the Springbok style of attack through the backline.
This style suites Ugandan players better than the initially preferred British approach of forwards for attack. This innovation coupled with specialisation of roles paid off with defeat of the largely bigger Ivory Coast players.
But whether Williams can take the Cranes to the next level of the qualifiers will depend on how he sets his side for battles with Morocco in Kampala and away against Ivory Coast. But trust the Ugandan attitude. “We can make it to World Cup,†said a confident Kasasa. The enthusiasm is understandable. Williams is one of the best rugby players ever, but also a world class coach. My prayer is that other sports administrators are following proceedings at Lugogo.
Ends