Uganda Rugby concluded the Uganda Cup – the first of three competitions on the 2023-24 calendar a fortnight ago. In a few days, the oldest, longest and most prestigious of them all – the XVs premiership – will kick off.
Every day throughout this week, I will publish a series of articles here on Kawowo Sports as a build-up to the much-anticipated opening weekend. This, about three boys and/or men I think will be exciting revelations to watch in Ugandan rugby this year, is the first. Let’s have it!
You have probably seen and heard enough about the likes of Malcolm Daniel Okello, Frank Kakula, Moses Zziwa, Gift Wokorach, and Davis Shimwa. These, and a handful of other exciting talents, will continue to hog the headlines as more rugby is played.
Allow me to present to you, in this piece, players who went under the radar last year but I strongly believe will make breakthroughs and significant career leaps in 2024.
- Joshua Vani Adebua
I first saw Joshua Vani Adebua during the 2022 Rugby Africa U20 Barthes Trophy in Nairobi, Kenya. He struck me as an introvert off the pitch but he blew some fireworks on it. Adebua spent most of 2022 and the season that followed struggling for game time at Buffaloes but his transfer to Heathens before the 2023-24 season opened doors for him to showcase and get noticed.
Heathens already got rewards for their investment in the young loose-forward. Adebua was the joint-top try scorer in the Uganda Cup, including two tries as he came off the bench in the final. Expect more of such performances this year.
- Arnold Ocen
It is extremely difficult to tell Arnold Ocen apart from his twin brother Arthur Opio. The moment you meet Opio, rest assured Ocen is within the vicinity. And that’s how they play too. Both feature for Rhinos Rugby Club in the men’s championship and for Uganda Martyrs University, Nkozi in the university games. Opio is a utility back who mainly plays in the full-back position while Ocen is a winger.
But what puts Ocen a step ahead is that he freely expresses himself a lot more as an individual. He is a workaholic on attack and an aggressive defender. The glimpses of that showed during the Nile Special 7s Series last year where he scored twenty-seven tries. I think Ocen is ripe for the big stage this year.
- Brighton Bakasa
If you recall Elgon Wolves last year during the XVs promotional playoffs and Tororo Crest during the Mileke Border 7s, then you must have seen Brighton Bakasa. Operating for these teams as a mercenary from Western Kenya, Bakasa caught many off guard. And even when they knew to expect him and his expendable colleagues, he was still a force to reckon with.
But now, the winger has a permanent home at Jinja Hippos for whom he signed during the transfer window. He already resumed the business of tormenting his opponents during the Uganda Cup, and I think many will continue to feel him as the year progresses.
This piece was inspired by a tweet from @CherokeePR who asked that I do a XV of African players in 2024. I have focused on my beat (Ugandan rugby) for this series and urge my fellow rugby writers on the continent to do the same for their respective countries.