Uganda Rugby Premiership | SF Playoff First Leg
- Jinja Hippos 22-25 KOBs
Once again, KOBs left it to the very last moment to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, thrilling their fans with another nail-biting finish.
At Dam Waters, Mark Osuna etched his name into KOBs folklore, scoring a five-pointer on the final play of the game to hand his side a dramatic 25-22 win over Jinja Hippos in the first leg of the playoff semifinals.
The dramatic scenes echoed memories of Joseph Aredo’s last-minute penalty that edged Buffaloes in the quarterfinals at Legends and this latest escapade has only deepened KOBs’ reputation for heart-stopping finishes.
The afternoon had started brightly for Hippos, who struck early with Yasin Wasswa’s penalty conversion inside two minutes.
They continued to dominate the first half, extending their lead through fullback Bruno Kisule and two more penalties from Wasswa, taking a solid 14-3 advantage into halftime.
KOBs’ only points came from a Josiah Ssempeke penalty and they looked second best at the break.
However, the second half saw a determined KOBs side storm back into contention. Andrew Odiambo crashed over near the posts with Ssempeke converting to cut the deficit to four points. Yet the Hippos immediately responded through John Echeru’s try, keeping KOBs at bay.
As tension mounted, Ssempeke kept KOBs alive with back-to-back penalties, trimming the scoreline to 18-16. Odiambo then completed his brace with another corner try to put KOBs ahead for the first time, 19-18, with minutes left.
Hippos weren’t done, though. Wasswa nailed a sublime drop goal to swing the pendulum back their way at 22-19, seemingly securing victory. But in typical KOBs fashion, they refused to quit.
From the restart, they built relentless pressure, phase after phase, until Osuna powered over at the death to seal a stunning comeback.
The return leg promises even more fireworks when the two sides meet again at Legends on Friday, May 2.
