Two weeks after the conclusion of the Uganda Cup, Uganda’s finest rugby teams, both men and women, will take to the turf this week for the first weekend of the re-designed Nile Special Rugby Championship.
This rebrand comes after the expansion from 10 to 12 teams. The ten teams from the 2022-2023 premiership will retain their status, and they will be joined by both the Warriors and the Kitante Eagles.
The Kitante Eagles were the playoff winners in June, with the win coming against the seasoned Warriors. They will join Pirates, Heathens, KOBs, Hippos, Impis, Rhinos, Barbarians, Rams, Mongers and Buffaloes.
The senior teams will be playing alongside their reserve/development sides. The fixtures will be scheduled so that every team will play each other once, home or away – culminating in 11 game weeks.
At the end of game week 11, playoffs shall commence, with the top eight going toe-to-toe in the quarterfinals, where we shall inadvertently define the semifinalists and finalists.
Heathens vs Pirates
The defending champions, Stanbic Black Pirates, will be tussling it out with record champions, Platinum Credit Heathens, in what may seem like the game of the weekend.
This game will be a revision of how 2023 started for both teams, with Heathens visiting Pirates. The latter came out on top, in front of a boisterous home crowd to put their name in the hat for title contenders.
The two teams met later in the season at Kyadondo, with Sydney Gongodyo sealing the game for the Pirates and effectively knocking Heathens out of contention to complete a season double. The Pirates last managed the double over Heathens in 2017-2018.
The Heathens are breathing fire after their run to defend the Uganda Cup and will look to exact revenge for the opening-day defeat from last season.
Pirates know they have a target on their backs as defending champions, and as it has been noted numerous times, you only count out Ivan Magomu at your own risk.
Impis vs Rams
Rugby lovers will not have to wait long for a Makerere derby as it has come on first asking. Makerere’s landlord, Impis, will be playing their stubborn tenant, Lifeguard Rams, in the battle of the graveyard.
After a league double in 2023, Impis succumbed to the Rams in the Uganda Cup quarterfinals, with the latter going all the way to the final, before losing to the Heathens juggernaut.
Coach Richard Lumu, in the post-Uganda Cup final interview, commended the Heathens on the win and fired a warning shot ahead of the championship that every team should be wary of what his Rams will do.
Lady Luck drew the Rams against Impis on the weekend, and it doesn’t get more spicy than that. The Impis started last year in record form, with Coach Ssebuliba Syrus leading his team to a 5/5 start, and they will be hoping they can start this season with the same form that also saw them lead their Uganda Cup group, a group which had Hippos and Rhinos in there.
Hippos vs KOBs
The KCB KOBs, the second most successful club in the country, make the trip to Stone City to scale the muddy Dam Waters and outsmart the Hippos.
With a trophy-less 2023 behind them, the stars seemed to align for the Legends side after that nervy Uganda Cup quarterfinal win against the Pirates, but Malcolm Okello and the Heathens extinguished that fire.
The revised championship presents a beautiful opportunity for the new-look KOBs to win the trophy they last won in 2021. It will be the first weekend coach Brian Makalama won’t be in the dugout, as he was replaced by the veteran Victor Wadia.
The Hippos put the country on notice when they stayed around long enough in the 2022 National 7s season to go ahead and win it.
They have since established an environment so hostile that no team dares to overstay their welcome across the Nile. It is the perfect test for the ambitions this season. They come up against a KOBs side that has recently been popular for their exploits off the pitch rather than on it.
Mongers vs Buffaloes
The ultimate battle of the mid-table is happening in Entebbe. In the recent past, the Buffaloes have fought not to be labelled as the second-rate side of Kyadondo, and this game is an opportunity to start the season right and continue to show doubters that they can stand on their own.
The Mongers acquired the services of Biran Makalama and hope to use his expertise to push them over the gain line.
The Mongers came within a whisker of making the Uganda Cup final, save for a late coin toss decision, despite having led the game 16-03 at some point.
Rhinos vs Warriors
Owing to the new design of the competition, the Warriros are back playing on the big stage despite losing the playoff final to Kampani’s Eagles.
The Warriors were never meant to stay down for long, and the celebrations of being back will be put on hold as they start business with a fore they know so well in Rhinos.
The Warriors come up against the Rhinos in the battle of Legends second-in-command. If anything from the National 7s is to go by, the Rhinos will be causing some upsets this season, and they should use their acquired chemistry to put away teams.
Eagles vs Walukuba
The Kampani’s Eagles announced their arrival on the scene with a resounding victory over the Pirates in the opening round of the Uganda Cup.
They went on to top their group but got outclassed in the quarterfinals. The redesigned championship allows the Eagles to play regularly against the country’s best and gauge themselves appropriately.
The Walukuba Barbarians make the trip to Kitante to rediscover their form of 2023 after a disappointing end to 2023 that saw them fail to make the knockouts of the Uganda Cup.
The Barbarians team, buoyed by the fact that Captain Bob Kawanda had his surgery successfully, will be playing even more for him to make him proud.
Courtesy Photos
