The Uganda Rugby Cranes and Lady Cranes will have to tussle it out with 11 other teams each for a chance to represent the country at the Paris Olympics.
The Rugby Cranes, alongside their South African counterparts, the Bltizboks, represent the continent in the competition owing to their respective third and second finishes in the 2023 edition of the Africa 7s hosted in Zimbabwe.
Uganda men’s side is about done with the HSBC Challenger Series and can now focus, with determination on the possibility of Olympic qualification, buoyed by their recent Africa Games Gold medal success.
The 2022 Africa 7s champions have been drawn in Pool B alongside China and HSBC SVNS regulars Great Britain and Canada. Canada is currently bottom of the 12-team SVNS log, while Great Britain is in 9th.
Like their male counterparts, the Lady Cranes finished third in the 2023 edition of the Africa 7s and will play in the repechage, representing Africa, alongside noisy neighbors, the Kenya Lionesses.
Lady Cranes Aim for Mainstay SVNS Status
Coach Onen’s Lady Cranes are well and truly alive in contention for a mainstay HSBC SVNS slot for 2025, currently sitting fourth of the Challenger Series log, with the final round in Poland to come.
The Lady Cranes have been drawn in Pool B alongside Hong Kong China, Paraguay, and Jamaica. The Lady Cranes have rubbed shoulders with Hong Kong China and Paraguay on the World Challenger Series calendar. They most recently faced Hong Kong in the Montevideo edition of the Challenger Series quarterfinals, coming from behind to win 22-17.
The Uganda Lady Cranes are coming off a gold medal-winning Africa Games campaign in Ghana.
The World Rugby Sevens Repechage will be played at the Stade Louis II in Monaco from June 21-23, 2024.
Pools for the Olympics Rugby Sevens Repechage.
Men
Pool A: South Africa, Chile, Tonga, Mexico
Pool B: Great Britain, Canada, Uganda, China
Pool C: Spain, HK China, Papua New Guinea, Brazil
Women
Pool A: Argentina, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Samoa
Pool B: Uganda, Hong Kong China, Paraguay, Jamaica
Pool C: China, Poland, Czechia, Mexico
Courtesy Photos
