Uganda shook off a worryingly poor start during the first round of the 2024 Rugby Africa Men’s 7s to close Day One without defeat.
This was during the pool phase at Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mapou, Mauritius.
The Rugby Cranes 7s laboured to a 22-12 victory against Côte d’Ivoire in the first match.
Then, after a furious mouthful from Coach Tolbert Onyango in the post-match hurdle, they kept two clean sheets against Tunisia and Burkina Faso.
Uganda’s results in the pool phase:
- Match 1: Uganda 22-12 Côte d’Ivoire
- Match 2: Uganda 43-00 Tunisia
- Match 3: Uganda 29-00 Burkina Faso
Speedsters Nobert Okeny (four tries) and Denis Etwau (three tries) topped Uganda’s scoring charts.
Despite being far from their best, Uganda topped Pool B.
They will face Côte d’Ivoire in the Quarterfinal stage. This is a repeat of the opening match since Côte d’Ivoire seeding saw them progress as the ‘Best Third’ ranked team.
The knockouts will be played on Day Two (Sunday). All matches will be streamed live on the Rugby Afrique YouTube channel.
