The Uganda Lady Cranes 7s team will not be competing in the Krakow leg of the 2025 World Rugby Sevens Challenger, following a difficult decision by the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) Executive Committee.
The announcement was made after the committee’s meeting on Saturday, March 15, 2025, citing visa challenges as the key reason behind the withdrawal.
The Lady Cranes 7s had secured their place in the Krakow leg by finishing in the top eight during the two leg series in South Africa, a tournament ultimately won by Kenya.
Their strong performance had raised hopes for a promising campaign in Poland, making the decision to withdraw even more disappointing.
Despite URU’s early preparations to secure travel documentation, visa delays proved to be an insurmountable hurdle.
The committee acknowledged that, despite their best efforts, the team would not be able to obtain visas in time for the event. World Rugby had been informed about these challenges, but no viable solution was found.
This withdrawal is a significant setback for the Lady Cranes 7s, who had been building momentum in international competitions.
However, the URU remains committed to women’s rugby and is shifting focus to the Lady Cranes XVs team, which will compete in the Rugby Africa Women’s Division 1 Tournament in Côte d’Ivoire.
While the 7s program is temporarily halted, the XVs team now has a major opportunity to push for promotion to the Rugby Africa Women’s Performance Division.
The tournament, announced by Rugby Africa on February 25, 2025, presents a chance for Uganda to compete at a higher level in the continent’s top women’s rugby division.
