Twenty-four. The number of successive XVs matches Heathens had played without a loss. Before this Saturday, the last time they had lost was on April 24, 2023, against Pirates (by 08-06) in the league. They went through the 2023-24 Uganda Cup and the regular season of the current championship unbeaten.
Ten. The number of years Heathens had gone without losing to KOBs at home. This was on February 8, 2014, when a Ronald Musajjagulanyago try and three Joseph Aredo penalties condemned them to a slim 14-13 defeat in the penultimate round of the league.
Those two long-running winning streaks came to a screeching halt during the second round of the 2024 Nile Special Rugby Championship Playoffs Semifinal. KOBs recovered from a 29-18 defeat in the first round at Legends to beat Heathens by 18-13 points at Kyadondo.
Man of the Match, Calvin Gizamba scored all the points for KOBs. The former Uganda U20 captain converted six out of seven penalty attempts at goal in the match.
His kicking opponent Malcolm Daniel Okello, also a former Uganda U20 captain, was not as accurate off the tee. Okello missed three of his six kicks at goal for Heathens in the match.
Unfortunately for KOBs, the 18-13 result was not enough for them to progress to the Championship Final over their archrivals. Heathens won the tie by a 42-36 aggregate score from two rounds.
Heathens will play against Black Pirates for the 2024 men’s Championship title.
