This was originally going to be an article about Pius Ogena’s twenty-two tries nearly breaking a longstanding record set by Allan Musoke in 2009 and equalled by Justin Kimono in 2014. It could have been about Ivan Magomu’s evolution, turning up in the number ten jersey as Pirates sought their second XVs premier league title. If it was going to be about one of the best revelations this season, it would have been about any of Moses Zziwa, Sydney Gongodyo or Frank Kakula.
It is not, though, and from the title of this article, you already know why.
Little has been said or written about him, but he should be the talking point of a vastly difficult yet reasonably successful season for Hippos.
Tawfik Bagalana played in all eighteen matches this season and scored twelve tries – the most by a Jinja Hippos player. He captained Hippos in the absence of still-recovering from injury Maxwell Ebonga, David Wako when he was suspended, and Eliphaz Emong when he transferred to Kabras in Kenya.
Additionally, that Hippos would play without his fellow Hippos originals Denis Etwau and Timothy Mugisha for the majority of the season when they toured with the Uganda Men’s Sevens was no surprise either. It was anticipated as soon as Hippos won their first title in ten-year history.
All these were challenges of which Bagalana was well aware. And so he stepped up his game to a whole other level.
Head coach Saidi Atibu, speaking to Kawowo Sports from Zanzibar where he had travelled with Bagalana and five other Ugandan rugby players for the African Scorpions’ match against Welsh Bryncethine RFC, says Tawfik is a natural leader for Hippos.
“Tawfik is one of the pioneers of the club, having played tag rugby and is now among the most experienced players we have. Playing for the Rugby Cranes as well. So he brings a lot of experience onto the team and being a pioneer makes him a respectable player in the club,” Atibu said.
“He is a friend to many, respectable among the young, and disciplined player. He is one that can listen and one that talks to all players young and senior players which makes him a natural leader to the team.”
Atibu expresses Bagalana’s personality and style of play well. There are different things therein to appreciate. Watch Hippos’ matches back and they are all there to see.
“He loves creating opportunities for scoring and he has put in time to learn how to do it by watching a lot of training for creating spaces to attack and score either by himself or to his teammates.”
That single-phase Edrine Lemeriga set-piece try against Black Pirates at Kings Park, for example. Bagalana is the first receiver off the scrum and he starts a back-door move that leaves defenders stranded in the open spaces.
It is a double-edged sword Hippos have used for their set plays repeatedly to cause defenders to commit to him in case he carries the ball into contact.
Then there is the stuff you don’t see on the internet – or at least, on camera. Like when the young players, including his brothers, sit around him for random conversations after a match.
When Kawowo Sports asked Bagalana how close the ending of the season was to what he had envisioned at the start, he was more concerned with bettering his best than gloating at his successes.
“I wanted to improve on my defence and attack. I watched a lot of defensive play from South Africa and it helped me a lot. And even watching some other international games. I have watched how the center moves; how they defend, how they attack. I improved a lot but I hope to improve more on it,” Bagalana said.
The mentality is the same when asked about Jinja Hippos as a whole. Bagalana scored twelve of Hippos’ sixty-three tries this season as the team finished fourth for the third successive season. In doing so, Hippos earned fifty points for the first time, a remarkable achievement in Ugandan rugby outside the top three.
“All in all, we achieved our goals from the fifteens (XVs). Because the XVs is a process, you can never wake up and just win it. You first start slowly, level by level. But we have improved a lot. Although people might not see it, we as players know that at least we are reaching where we want in the XVs season. Right now, we are getting bonus points from the big teams, we are finishing with more points. Within one year or two, we shall be there for sure.”
Hippos are not resting on their laurels yet. They know defending their sevens series title will be an uphill task. Bagalana, still in the off-season break, has kept an eye on the rest of the team.
“I think we are back to the sevens training and boys are getting back because we need to do our best to win it (again). If we play as the structure is told by all our coaches, we always perform.”
Away from his day job as a sales consultant with Buffalo Safari Camps, although Bagalana refers to the off-season break as a vacation, he has been as much into the sport as he can.
“My off-season? I’m enjoying it. I’ve played some golf around different golf courses just to relax and chill off. I’ve played a bit of tennis with my friends and now we have gone to Zanzibar for the Africa Scorpions.”
Meanwhile, those of us on the outside keep wondering, talking, and writing about why one of the most compelling talents in that position is not yet a mainstay on the national team yet. But after this season, can you really blame us?