Cranes storm CAR cup semis
Uganda will face Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-finals of the CAR Africa Cup rugby tournament next month in a yet-to-be-named location.
By Kalungi Kabuye
CAR Africa Cup
Uganda 21 Zambia 5
Kenya 22 Cameroon 19
Cote d’Ivoire 16 Tunisia 14
Madagascar 30 Zimbabwe 29
Uganda will face Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-finals of the CAR Africa Cup rugby tournament next month in a yet-to-be-named location.
The Rugby Cranes were one of three teams to win away encounters in the last games of the qualifying rounds on Saturday.
Kenya beat Cameroon 22-19 in Yaoundé, while Madagascar held off Zimbabwe 30-29 in Harare.
Cote d’Ivoire was the only home team to come off with a win, edging Tunisia 16-14 in Abidjan. Thus, Kenya will face Madagascar in the other semi-final.
Last year, Uganda walloped Cote d’Ivoire 30-7 in a World Cup qualifying match played at the Kyadondo Grounds in Kampala. The Rugby Cranes have also now beaten Kenya twice in their last two encounters, both home and away.
“At this stage it does not really matter who we play, Uganda has proved we can play right there with the rest of them,†a union official said.
“We have beaten Cote d’Ivoire before but it could have been any team, whether Tunisia or Morocco or Kenya or Madagascar, we can beat all of them. No more talk of ‘big teams,’ we are now one of the big teams.â€
The semi-finals and final will take place over one week in one of the countries that have qualified, and the Confederation of African Rugby will soon sit to evaluate the bids and decide which nation will host the semi-finals and final in early August.
CAR Africa Cup
Uganda 21 Zambia 5
Kenya 22 Cameroon 19
Cote d’Ivoire 16 Tunisia 14
Madagascar 30 Zimbabwe 29
Uganda will face Cote d’Ivoire in the semi-finals of the CAR Africa Cup rugby tournament next month in a yet-to-be-named location.
The Rugby Cranes were one of three teams to win away encounters in the last games of the qualifying rounds on Saturday.
Kenya beat Cameroon 22-19 in Yaoundé, while Madagascar held off Zimbabwe 30-29 in Harare.
Cote d’Ivoire was the only home team to come off with a win, edging Tunisia 16-14 in Abidjan. Thus, Kenya will face Madagascar in the other semi-final.
Last year, Uganda walloped Cote d’Ivoire 30-7 in a World Cup qualifying match played at the Kyadondo Grounds in Kampala. The Rugby Cranes have also now beaten Kenya twice in their last two encounters, both home and away.
“At this stage it does not really matter who we play, Uganda has proved we can play right there with the rest of them,†a union official said.
“We have beaten Cote d’Ivoire before but it could have been any team, whether Tunisia or Morocco or Kenya or Madagascar, we can beat all of them. No more talk of ‘big teams,’ we are now one of the big teams.â€
The semi-finals and final will take place over one week in one of the countries that have qualified, and the Confederation of African Rugby will soon sit to evaluate the bids and decide which nation will host the semi-finals and final in early August.