Avengers Rugby Club are the current women’s leaders after three rounds in the 2024 Nile Special 7s Series. They won back-to-back Cup Finals in Mbale and at Kyadondo before the series took a break this week.
Avengers had to overcome defeat in the opening round at their backyard in Entebbe. Black Pearls, the three-time series defending champions, had continued to prove that they were still a step ahead of the field.
“It was tough losing at home (in Entebbe). This purely was a mental game for us. At home, we were not having it there, players were under pressure… but we went back home, did the homework, and here you can see, they have proven that they can actually take the lead,” coach Beatrice Atim said to Kawowo Sports during the Mbale 7s post-match interviews.
This is the composition of the squad which has overcome that mental barrier and catapulted Avengers to the top of the women’s log for the first time since the turn of the decade.
| Entebbe 7s | Mbale 7s | Kyadondo 7s | ||
| 1 | Sarah Kirabo | x | x | x |
| 2 | Maimuna Nassozi | x | x | x |
| 3 | Peace Lekuru | x | x | x |
| 4 | Juliet Nandawula | x | x | x |
| 5 | Christine Akello | x | x | x |
| 6 | Rebecca Akello | x | ||
| 7 | Cabrine Kirabo | x | x | |
| 8 | Claire Magoba | x | x | |
| 9 | Fazira Namukwaya | x | x | x |
| 10 | Peace Nemira | x | x | x |
| 11 | Florence Babirye | x | x | x |
| 12 | Amina Nalujja | x | x | x |
| 13 | Doreen Edonia Sijali | x | x | x |
| 14 | Mercy Munduru | x | x | |
| 15 | Gertrude Nakulubwa | x |
Four players; Sarah Kirabo, Maimuna Nassozi, Juliet Nandawula, and Peace Lekuru; were active with the Uganda Women’s 7s national team during the 2023-24 season. Four others; Christine Akello, Cabrine Kirabo, Fazira Namukwaya, and Florence Babirye (debuted); played test rugby with the Lady Rugby Cranes during the 2023 Elgon Cup and the bilateral series with Tunisia.
This core group has carried the squad throughout the five-match weekend. They have scored all the tries and conversions for Avengers on Day Two (three matches) in Entebbe, Mbale, and Kyadondo.
It is the most star-studded team in the 2024 Nile Special 7s Series. But the question on everyone’s mind now is: will Avengers go all the way this year or are they simply holding the fort for Black Pearls?
