On the back of a thrilling nationwide touring Sevens series that went down to the last match of the final circuit, Ugandan Rugby is set to kick off a crucial 2022 season. There are two Rugby World Cup qualification campaigns – both XV and Sevens for men and only Sevens for women – in this third year of the coronavirus pandemic era.
The men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 qualification tournament, which is the Rugby Africa Cup 2022 knockout phase, is scheduled for June in France. Both the men and women will play for a spot at the Commonwealth Games 2022 – scheduled for July in Birmingham, England – and the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2022 – scheduled for September in Cape Town City, South Africa – at separately-held Rugby Africa Cup Sevens events whose dates are yet to be confirmed but are expected between March and April.
That said, the national calendar opens on Saturday, January 8, 2022, with the top-tier men’s XV league, officially known as the Nile Special Rugby Premier League following the beverage manufacturer’s return to the sport.
A week later on January 15, the women’s national XV league will commence with a single match between 2021 champions Black Pearls and Mbale Eagles.
As usual, the teams will miss a couple of their best players when national duty comes calling.
Schools Rugby continues to wait
On the other hand, schools rugby remains on the sidelines as the country staggers through the pandemic. However, with schools officially reopening in the country for the first time in two years, there is a glimmer of hope for the youngsters.
The biggest joy of all is that sports grounds and stadiums have been given the green light to allow fans at full capacity as the sport industry returns to normality.