2013 Rugby Review : MTN Heathens Reign Supreme
The year 2013 in the Rugby fraternity continued to produce contrasting scenarios. It was joy unlimited for the MTN Heathens who lifted the 11th national league, the 7’s and Uganda Cup titles. It was another near yet so far close finish for the national team and a continued struggle for the perennial contending and pretending teams.
Kawowo Sports’ David Isabirye reflects back at the year that also ushered in a new administration of Andrew Owor as the new Uganda Rugby Union Chairman.
2013 League:
The MTN Heathens maintained to dominate the national league, winning yet another title to enrich their trophy laden cabinet.
Andrew Owor Administration:
A new executive headed by Andrew Owor took over the administrative mantle of the Uganda Rugby Union. The new executive marked the first 5 months with a noticeable change in the season set up and the league set up itself. All the eyes of many a rugby faithful will be glued on how Owor implements his massive paper work into practical and tangible work.
Tag Rugby Development:
In a bid to tap and groom rugby blood from the grass roots, the tag rugby development programme continues to move on with remarkable trends. This followed successful launch of the Tag Rugby programmes in Kampala, Entebbe, Jinja and Mbale.
The tag rugby bandwagon has extended to the Northern Uganda districts of Gulu and Lira. The launch by Tag Rugby Trustee, Rob Newman and Trust chairman Martin Hansford, Rugby clubs have now taken on the program to invest in grassroots development that will in the long run boost numbers.
Uganda’s National team household names like Kizza Benon, Micheal Wokorach, Alfred Bijik, Phillip Wokorach, Phillip Pariyo, James Ijiongat,Regina Athieno (Lady Cranes), Asha Nakityo (Lady Cranes) among others are tag rugby graduates.
League Restructured:
The Andrew Owor administration ushered in a fresh mandate and programme and immediate change of the rugby structures. In an official exclusive interview Kawowo Sports held with Owor, asserted that the major changes undertaken in re-sharping the outlook of the rugby league lie the secret password of developing the game further in the country.
“”For just the 4 months I have been in charge, there are quite a number of changes, majority are visible and others are long term”, the 34 year-old former Buffaloes coach, who won the May 2013 Rugby Union elections remarked..
The Pitfalls:
National team Struggles:
The Uganda national rugby team continued to struggle particularly in the annual Elgon Cup, African Rugby championships, the Bamburi Super Series and the safari sevens. Uganda continued to play second fiddle to arch-rivals Kenya and the major challenge and puzzle to be solved will lie how to approach and beat that hurdle as 2014 fast approaches.
Yusuf Baban death:
On a sad note, the rugby fraternity was dampened by the untimely news of the death of a Nile Rugby club player, Yusuf ‘Baban’ Zaidi, who collapsed during his team’s game against Buffaloes.
The untimely incident happened during the opening day fixtures of the 2013 Uganda Cup. What started as a bright afternoon ended in pain, tears and total disappointment.
This followed the sudden death of Yusuf ‘Baban’ Zaidi, who collapsed during the Nile-Buffaloes game at Dam Waters Rugby Stadium in Jinja and died on his way to the hospital for medication.
West Gate Mall Incident:
It was during the 2013 Annual Safari Sevens in Kenya that the unfortunate work of the Devil through the heartless human beings continued to be manifested in humanity.
The West gate attack left a very bad image on the otherwise internationally recognized rugby tourney as scores were left dead, injured and property worth in billions damaged beyond control.
The attack completely overshadowed the safaricom sevens tournament when Uganda once again struggled to leave a mark.
The Phillip Wokorach Horrible Injury:
Like an other contact sport, Rugby is bound to result into serious unfortunate injuries. Phillip Wokorach suffered a horrible injury that sidelined long spells on the side lines.
There were conspiracies about the Phillip Wokorach injury but it all came out that the tackle that resulted into the injury was a genuine one, with no malice fore sought from the executor, Anthony Kinene.
Mongers Acquired Land:
Earlier in February 2013, news filtered in how Entebbe Mongers Rugby club in Entebbe had acquired a 3 hectare block of land in Busambaga in Katabi, about 3 km off Entebbe town. However, the club failed to mobilize resources to have the ground work started to at least grade the land.
The club’s plans for a new home, from their original Entebbe Secondary School ‘house of pain’ will be procrastinated to the virgin new year in 2014.
For all said, done and heard on the rugby turf, the sidelines and in the locker room, Rugby in 2013 continued to improve for the better despite the respective challenges. With the league restart fast approaching in early January 2014 (after a christmas break), for the second round, a lot awaits to be seen on the pitch in all the respective tournaments.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR.
