The University 7s kicked off last Sunday at the Makerere Rugby Grounds, the Graveyard, and were won by Victoria University.
The defending champions had a squad that was not only menacing on paper, but on the ground as well.
This was the first of three circuits organized by the Association of Uganda University Sports, in conjunction with the Uganda Rugby Union.
The URU Age-Grade and Development Officer, Dorothy Nekesa, hinted at the return of the University Rugby 15s league in 2026, with this year’s 7s competition acting as a precursor to that competition. She also addressed scheduling issues that had been raised in some rugby circles.
“With an increased number of players, competitions can run concurrently. Other events should be able to run even during the Uganda Cup,” said Nekesa.
For Victoria University, balancing University 7s and the ongoing Uganda Cup has so far not been a challenge. Last Sunday, they had the services of players like Daniels Otim of the Buffaloes and the KOBs pair of Calvin Gizamba and Stuart Mwayi, who were not available for selection by their respective clubs.
“Our university team has players who play for other clubs but are on scholarship. We requested their clubs and the clubs accepted these players to play for their university in the three university 7s circuits across the three weekends,” noted Coach Kevin Ivan Makmot, who also coaches the University club side, the Sharks.
With an unstable University rugby calendar, Victoria University, like most institutions of higher learning, only gets to use its players about twice a year, with the mainstay activity on that calendar being the interuniversity games organized by AUUS.
While men’s university rugby is still grappling with its own issues, the women’s game at that level is yet to hit the ground running.
“The challenge we are addressing with girls’ competition at the University level has been co-existence alongside the boys in universities playing Rugby. Most of our players require bursaries to afford university education, but we have some bursary promises in the pipeline, which may yield in 2026,” Nekesa said with optimism.
This Sunday, the second circuit of the University 7s shall be held at the Kyadondo Rugby Grounds and will be hosted by Kyambogo University.
Pool A
- Victoria University
- Nkumba University
- Mutesa Royal University
- UCU 2
Pool B
- Uganda Martyrs University
- Kyambogo University
- Kabale University
- University of Kisubi
Pool C
- Uganda Christian University (UCU)
- Makerere University
- Kampala International University
- International University of East Africa