It is four weeks to the start of the 2025 HSBC World Rugby 7s Challenger Series — Uganda’s reward for winning the 2024 men’s Rugby Africa 7s tournament.
Uganda has participated in the 7s Challenger since the series was introduced in 2020. In each of the past four editions, with early preparations including residential training camps and invitational tournaments, the Rugby Cranes 7s have only flown as high as the quarterfinals.
Now, in 2025, Uganda Rugby Union – URU’s priorities appear to have switched from the men’s 7s program. Players in the large squad have not held a single training session as a team since the Safari 7s in October last year.
Amidst its neverending financial predicaments, URU is literally fattening the bull on the market day. Four weeks, including travel, is nowhere near enough for Coach Tolbert Onyango to get his charges ready to compete at that international level.
Thus, given the current circumstances, it is difficult to see how Uganda will do better this year. Maybe to cross one’s fingers and hope for a miracle.
Kawowo Sports understands that URU will summon up to eighteen players from their respective clubs this week to commence training before it becomes too little, too late. They will still be available to participate in the Uganda Rugby Premiership but only until Round Four this Saturday.
The 2025 HSBC World Rugby 7s Challenger Series will kick off on March 1-2 in Cape Town, South Africa.
- Qualified teams in 2025 men’s 7s Challenger Series:
- 1 Canada, 2 Japan, 3 Brazil, 4 Chile, 5 Germany, 6 Portugal, 7 Japan, 8 Hong Kong China, 9 Tonga, 10 Samoa, 11 Madagascar, 12 Uganda.
Twelve countries will compete in the 2025 7s Challenger Series. Uganda and Madagascar qualified through the 2024 men’s Rugby Africa 7s which was played in Mauritius last July.