Bell tolls for ruggers
Feb 01, 2006
Rugby<br><br>If 2005 was something of a watershed year for Ugandan rugby, 2006 should be the year of truth; the year the bell finally tolls for the game.
Rugby
By Kalungi Kabuye
If 2005 was something of a watershed year for Ugandan rugby, 2006 should be the year of truth; the year the bell finally tolls for the game.
Just how big is Uganda? Are the players almost reaching up to the big boys, finally, looking over their shoulders, or are they to be destined to the doldrums of second class rugby, even after all the improvement the game has seen in recent years?
If last year showed anything, it showed that Uganda needs to move to another level, and the international games they played showed that.
Does anyone remember when Uganda used to be underdogs to neighbours Kenya? Not any more, and they were very lucky for that narrow World Cup qualifying win against a Ugandan squad that had not played an international 15s game in over a year.
Uganda quickly recovered, went to Antananarivo and became the first team to beat Madagascar at home. They also convincingly saw off Zimbabwe in Kampala, and thus for the very first time qualified for the second round of the qualifiers, where the Rugby Cranes are drawn with Morocco and Cote D’Ivoire.
But the second round is a different tale altogether, and Uganda Rugby Union chairman Andrew Owiny realises as much.
“We have never played rugby at this level, and we need to adjust to that,†Owiny said. “Morocco and Cote D’Ivoire are not your Botswana or Zimbabwe, this is a different level. And of course there are the Commonwealth Games.â€
To bring Ugandan rugby to the necessary level, a professional coach from South Africa has been contracted to train the national team.
Last year’s games, even the wins, showed inadequate technical prowess, and some observers felt Uganda was playing outdated rugby. So this coach, who should get here by March, should see to that.
“We are to have a lot more structured training for the national team, and also consolidate the club system,†Owiny added.
Results should start showing in May, when the Cranes host Kenya to an international friendly. But the real test will be on June 3 when the team travel to Rabat and play against Morocco.
Lessons learnt from there will be put to use against Cote D’Ivoire in Kampala on July 1, and in a return game in Abidjan on September 2.
Morocco will then come to Kampala on September 16, and by then rugby union officials will know where the nation stands, and whether the bell has finally tolled for them.
Locally, the Bell Lager League was cut short last year due to a lot of international games, but this year will run at full length again.
The MTN Heathens won it for the third time. The Uganda Cup went to the Mango Kobs.
Heathens also won the overall Sevens Circuit, but each leg was won by a different club (Heathens, Kobs, Impis, Pirates), showing that Ugandan rugby is no longer just a Heathens-Kobs thing, but has other major players as well.
By Kalungi Kabuye
If 2005 was something of a watershed year for Ugandan rugby, 2006 should be the year of truth; the year the bell finally tolls for the game.
Just how big is Uganda? Are the players almost reaching up to the big boys, finally, looking over their shoulders, or are they to be destined to the doldrums of second class rugby, even after all the improvement the game has seen in recent years?
If last year showed anything, it showed that Uganda needs to move to another level, and the international games they played showed that.
Does anyone remember when Uganda used to be underdogs to neighbours Kenya? Not any more, and they were very lucky for that narrow World Cup qualifying win against a Ugandan squad that had not played an international 15s game in over a year.
Uganda quickly recovered, went to Antananarivo and became the first team to beat Madagascar at home. They also convincingly saw off Zimbabwe in Kampala, and thus for the very first time qualified for the second round of the qualifiers, where the Rugby Cranes are drawn with Morocco and Cote D’Ivoire.
But the second round is a different tale altogether, and Uganda Rugby Union chairman Andrew Owiny realises as much.
“We have never played rugby at this level, and we need to adjust to that,†Owiny said. “Morocco and Cote D’Ivoire are not your Botswana or Zimbabwe, this is a different level. And of course there are the Commonwealth Games.â€
To bring Ugandan rugby to the necessary level, a professional coach from South Africa has been contracted to train the national team.
Last year’s games, even the wins, showed inadequate technical prowess, and some observers felt Uganda was playing outdated rugby. So this coach, who should get here by March, should see to that.
“We are to have a lot more structured training for the national team, and also consolidate the club system,†Owiny added.
Results should start showing in May, when the Cranes host Kenya to an international friendly. But the real test will be on June 3 when the team travel to Rabat and play against Morocco.
Lessons learnt from there will be put to use against Cote D’Ivoire in Kampala on July 1, and in a return game in Abidjan on September 2.
Morocco will then come to Kampala on September 16, and by then rugby union officials will know where the nation stands, and whether the bell has finally tolled for them.
Locally, the Bell Lager League was cut short last year due to a lot of international games, but this year will run at full length again.
The MTN Heathens won it for the third time. The Uganda Cup went to the Mango Kobs.
Heathens also won the overall Sevens Circuit, but each leg was won by a different club (Heathens, Kobs, Impis, Pirates), showing that Ugandan rugby is no longer just a Heathens-Kobs thing, but has other major players as well.