- Victoria Cup 2023 – Matchday Three
- Result: Uganda 21-20 Kenya
Uganda has beaten Kenya by just one point to win the 2023 Victoria Cup.
The victory, by the barest of margins, was won courtesy of Liam Walker’s penalty kick in the last play of the match.
It was a cracking match from the word go. Kenya scored two tries within the first ten minutes. First by Teddy Akala in the sixth and then Joel Inzuga in the ninth from a sweet counterattack.
The momentum switched to Uganda thereafter, and they responded with two penalties from Ivan Magomu.
Uganda’s first try was scored by Conrad Wanyama just before the half-hour mark.
The hosts took a slim 13-12 lead into the break. It was a half where both teams barely strung three phases together without conceding possession to a turnover or a handling error.
Kenya sought to regain their early advantage by making five substitutions at the start of the second half. However, errors from the first half (and during the Zambia match on Wednesday too) continued to hurt their ambitions. The Simbas conceded possession easily and failed to dominate in their own set pieces which kept them on the backfoot.
Jone Kubu slotted a penalty for Kenya to lead again at 15-13 with twenty minutes left to play. But the momentum slipped out of their hands almost immediately as Paul Mutsami saw yellow for cynical play in an offside position.
Uganda made the advantage count through a Joseph Oyet try in the corner in the seventy-third minute.
Then Inzuga bagged his brace off a power carry in the corner for Kenya to take the lead again at 20-18 with four minutes to full-time.
On a day when Uganda missed fourteen points – four Magomu penalties and one Walker conversion, they needed to split the uprights in the last play to win the match.
Walker, playing only his second cap for Uganda, stepped up from forty metres and made no mistake this time.
His effort delivered the match victory for Uganda and with it, the 2023 Victoria Cup.
Overall, it was a poor performance from both teams, especially in the contact area. The penalty count was astronomically high for a match between two experienced test nations.
Additionally, the game management by the match officials left a lot to be desired and significantly affected the flow of the match.
Individual Award Winners
Eliphaz Emong was named the Man of the Match. Ivan Magomu got two awards; for overall top points scorer and the overall tournament MVP.
Both teams now shift their focus to the return leg of the 2023 Elgon Cup. It will be played on Saturday, November 11, across the border in Kisumu, Kenya.
