The Uganda Rugby Sevens team is set for a major test as they compete in the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger on March 1-2 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.
This tournament serves as a crucial pathway for teams aspiring to join the elite HSBC SVNS series, and Uganda is determined to make its mark.
The Road to Promotion
Both Uganda’s men’s and women’s teams will face tough competition in Pool C of their respective categories.
The men’s team is set to battle against Samoa and Brazil, two formidable opponents.
Samoa is a well-established rugby powerhouse, while Brazil has been making significant strides in recent years.
To improve their chances of progressing, Uganda will aim for a **top-two finish in the pool.
The women’s team, the Lady Rugby Cranes, will also have a challenging campaign as they take on Belgium and Colombia in Pool C.
They will need to deliver strong performances to secure a spot in the knockout rounds.
With promotion at stake, Uganda must finish among the top eight teams after the first two rounds in Cape Town to advance to the final Challenger event in Krakow, Poland, on April 11-12.
The four best-performing teams across all three Challenger tournaments will then compete in the HSBC SVNS Playoff in Los Angeles on May 3-4, where they will challenge the lowest-ranked core teams for a spot in the HSBC SVNS series.
Uganda Sevens head coach Tolbert Onyango expressed excitement ahead of the tournament, emphasizing the importance of returning to competitive action after a long break.
“Excited, looking forward to having Uganda playing rugby sevens again after, I think it’s like seven, eight months and going to meet Brazil and Samoa who’ve just come down from the World Series. It’s exciting stuff, so really looking forward to it. We’ve played Brazil I think twice, thrice in the last two, three years, so they’re opponents we know very well.”
Onyango acknowledged the physicality and strength of their opponents, highlighting the challenges ahead.
“They’re big lads, they’re going to give us a bit of issues. When we played them last year, they were the first team to score against us, so they’re quite a good side and pretty physical. Samoa, of course, they need no introduction. Powerful, fast, they’ve won the HSBC Sevens Series once, so they’re a really top side, and we’re looking forward to testing ourselves against one of the best teams in the league.”
Squad Challenges and Opportunities
Uganda will be without key players such as Captain Ian Munyani, Aaron Ofoyrwoth, Massa, Adrian Kasito and Phillip Wokorach who have been instrumental in past campaigns.
Onyango acknowledged their absence but remained optimistic about the depth of the squad.
“We’re going to miss the people that we call the backbones of the side. But we’ve got to back up for them, and what better stage to test our capacity and give opportunity to the young boys to go and flourish.”
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger series were introduced in 2020, provide emerging rugby nations with an opportunity to break into the highest level of international rugby sevens.
Teams like Kenya and Uruguay have previously secured promotion through this competition, setting an example that Uganda hopes to follow.
With Ugandan’s journey beginning in Cape Town, a blend of experience and fresh talent, the Sevens teams will be eager to make a strong impression.
