Black Pirates paid tribute to the late Sydney Gongodyo in the best way possible with a composed 15-3 victory over Heathens in the first leg of the Uganda Rugby Premiership semifinal at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds on Saturday.
The match, originally scheduled for June 7, had been postponed by the Uganda Rugby Union following Gongodyo’s passing. Returning to action days after laying their former teammate to rest, Pirates delivered a disciplined performance to take control of the tie.
The visitors settled quickly and opened the scoring through William Nkore’s penalty for a 3-0 lead.
Pirates continued to dominate territory and possession, and their pressure paid off when Alex Aturinda broke from the base of a scrum before creating space for Eric Mulamula to score the game’s first try. The conversion was missed, but Pirates still carried an 8-0 advantage into halftime.
Heathens responded after the break with a penalty to reduce the deficit to five points and briefly spark hopes of a comeback.
Those hopes were short-lived. Pirates soon regained control and extended their lead after sustained pressure near the Heathens line. Aturinda reacted quickest following a penalty situation to dive over for the visitors’ second try, before Nkore added the conversion to make it 15-3.
The Pirates’ defence remained solid throughout, limiting Heathens to just three points and ensuring the visitors left Kyadondo with a valuable away win.
The result gives Black Pirates a 12-point cushion heading into next weekend’s second leg at Kings Park Arena, where they will look to finish the job and book a place in the Premiership final.
The winner will face Buffaloes Rugby Club who dominated their semifinal tie over Makerere Impis on Friday at the Kyadondo Rugby Club.
