Impis walked off the Entebbe turf knowing exactly how cruel rugby can be.
Their perfect start to the 2026 Uganda Rugby Premiership ended in the tightest way possible, a 17-16 defeat to Plascon Mongers on the road. One point, One moment, One game that slipped through their fingers.
The final whistle did not bring noise. It brought silence, the kind that follows when a team realises it was close enough to win, but not close enough to finish.
Impis had arrived in Entebbe with confidence, two wins from two and early whispers that they could shake up the established order.
For long spells, they looked the part. They defended with courage, attacked with clarity and refused to be bullied in the collisions. Every phase carried intent. Every tackle spoke belief.
But Entebbe is never generous. Against a Mongers side that guards its home ground fiercely, margins were always going to matter.
And in this league, margins are ruthless. Seventeen points to sixteen is not a gap, it is a missed kick, a turnover at the breakdown, a single lapse of concentration. On this afternoon, that tiny swing favoured the hosts.
Still, this was not a collapse. It was a lesson. Impis are no longer passengers in the top flight.
They are competitors, pushing title contenders to the wire and discovering what it truly takes to close out tight games away from home.
Championship ambitions are not built only on dominant wins. They are shaped in afternoons like this, where the pain is sharp, but the growth is real.
Elsewhere in Week Three, the league delivered statements.
In the women’s competition, Black Pearls overwhelmed She Wolves 44-0, Thunderbirds blanked Ewes 25-0, while Avengers and Nile Rapids shared a tense 6-6 draw.
In the men’s results, Buffaloes powered past Kakira 31-0, and KOBs finally found their first win of the season, beating Hippos 50-12 at what is set to become their new home ground.
Warriors suffered a heavy 59-0 defeat to Heathens, while Walukuba and Victoria Sharks settled for an 18-18 draw.
At the summit, defending champions Black Pirates climbed to the top with a perfect three wins from three, collecting 13 points. Mongers sit just behind on 12, one ahead of Kyadondo rivals Heathens and Buffaloes.
