Covered in the dust of a hard-fought battle, drenched in sweat and glory, Impis head coach Nkamba Aaron Alvin had every reason to break into his trademark “Mpere” celebration dance.
His young side had just pulled off a razor-thin 14-13 win over Lifeguard Rams in the Central Rugby Championship final at The Graveyard, Makerere, a game as dramatic as it was decisive.
And when the cheers settled, his words carried the weight of a season’s worth of pressure.
“I believe we did our revision, right? We did our homework, right? And it’s one of the things that helped us in this game,” Coach Alvin said with a composed smile in a post-match interview conducted by Denise Namale.
Indeed, the numbers had stacked up against both Makerere-based teams at the beginning of the season. After being relegated from the Uganda Rugby Premiership last year, both victims of the relegation playoffs, Impis and Rams found themselves in a rare and brutal scenario.
As per the Uganda Men’s Rugby Premiership tournament manual, only one of them could bounce back immediately through the Central Rugby Championship.
Throughout the regular season, Impis and Rams ran neck and neck. Both were unbeaten save for the one time they clashed with Impis narrowly snatching that encounter 16-12.
So when they met again on Sunday, April 13, for the final that would determine who earns a shot at redemption through the promotional playoffs, everyone expected a bruising contest.
What they got was even tighter than before, Impis seized the lead early and clung to it for dear life. Travor Kabanda’s lone try lit the fire in the first half, while the boots of Matthew Musasizi (a penalty and drop goal) and Darren Aine (a penalty) added crucial points.
For 70 minutes, they didn’t concede a single point. Their structure, their discipline, and their control of tempo bore the fingerprints of a team that had truly done its homework.
“We had, you know, hot bodies, cool minds,” Alvin reflected. “That helped us go through.”
And they needed all of that composure when Rams finally stirred. In a desperate final surge, Brian Wandera and Ryan Jjuuko crossed the whitewash and Jjuuko added a penalty. But their earlier wastefulness at goal and nervy game management proved costly. A single point separated them at the final whistle.
For Impis, it meant more than just a win.
“It’s very big motivation. They came up against a very experienced side in Rams. And having the boys put up such a show is very beautiful,” Alvin said.
The victory was one to show that youth, properly harnessed, can stand toe to toe with seasoned campaigners. The team’s composure under pressure was no accident, it was the result of deliberate preparation and of a growing culture within the club that values both grit and growth.
“You know, it’s one of the things we have to work with because we’re trying to build. Having young boys put up such a show for the project that we’re trying to build, it’s a good step forward and I believe we’re on the right foot track,” Alvin concluded.
Now, with the Central crown secured, Impis carry the hopes of their region into the national promotional playoffs after the Easter break. They’ll face champions from other regions’ teams that haven’t tasted Premiership rugby in recent memory.
And Coach Alvin has a message for them.
“All I can say is they should expect arrogance at its best. That’s it.”
