Scorelines tend to tell stories, but this one doesn’t. The Makerere Impis lost to the Heathens, 29-06, on the opening day of the Uganda Cup at Kyadondo, but it is the actual action on the field that would perfectly speak for itself.
In the first half, Impis led 6 points to nil, thanks to penalty kicks from fullback Darren Aine. The Heathens, however, went into the break ahead with 2 unconverted tries. The score, 10 – 06. The game seemed evenly poised at that point, but it was only for so long that the Impis would hold on.
The second half started with intent for the Heathens. They upped the physicality from kickoff, with carries from Lawrence Ssebuliba, Michael Wokorach and Santos Senteza leaving the Impis defense in disarray. Two tries from Aaron Ofoyrwoyth and Daniel Otema for the Heathens set the pace for the second half.
The Impis soon abandoned their game plan, deciding to go pound for pound with the more experienced Heathens. This physical brand of rugby became costly for the Makerere boys, who not only conceded more points but failed to add some of their own.
More penalty kicks by Impis were unsuccessful, even when they changed kickers from Aine to Henry Nsekuye, then Edgar Akimanzi.
The Heathens took the win, with a bonus point, marking their first win in the Pool.