The Jinja Hippos’ almost flawless start in the new format Championship came to an abrupt end as the Stanbic Black Pirates punished a below par performance by inflicting a 19-14 loss.
A last minute penalty kick by William Nkore was enough to kill the Hippos hopes of mounting a what looked like a great come back.
The Hippos who could be forgiven for coming from the back of a very difficult game with known noisy rivals, the Platinum Credit Heathens were oddly sluggish and sloppy in the first forty minutes of the game that went to the break with the Hippos trailing 13-7.
Hippos drew first blood from a well built try that ended with Brighton Bakasa picking a penalty try from a very dangerous tackle by Haruna Muhammed that led him to the sin bin.
The Hippos who had denied the sea robbers access to their try line were then punished by Fredrick Mulindwa‘s boot for continuous infringement putting the score at 6-7 before a penalty try was awarded to the Pirates for Sean Mubiru collapsing the scrum and referee Umar Balikanda was left with no option other than sending the big number one to the sin bin.
Hippos Fight Back Later
After the restart, the Hippos who are known for bossing the second half did the same against the Pirates as they searched for a second try, though their continuous infringements and poor decision making still led them to the trap set by Fredrick Mulindwa as he extended the lead to 16-7.
The strong and powerful Hippos pushed hard to narrow the deficit from a well worked try off Andrew Odhiambo‘s powerful hands who grounded the ball in between the uprights to ease Yasin Wasswa‘s work who quickly converted.
What looked like the attack that would sink the Pirates’ wrecked ship later turned out to be the push that would lead them to the shores as a pass from Aziz Bagalana was fumbled by Fidel Aremo leading to a chase and catch game that ended up in a penalty.
The kick from Nkore proved to be the last blow in Hippos’ big hearts as the referee told the players that he will let them rest and prepare for the next weekend.
The result sees the Jinja Hippos remain in fourth position as they welcome the newly promoted Kampani’s Eagles to what they call their fortress, the Dam Waters in Jinja.
Courtesy Photos
