After the 50-0 demolition of Burkina Faso by the Lady Cranes in their Rugby Africa Women’s 7s opener, it was expected that the Ugandans would thrash their next Pool C opponents, Zambia, but that wasn’t the case.
A beautiful try from Janat Nandudu, who was assisted by Peace Lekuru through a cheeky switch pass, put the Ugandans ahead in the first half. The subsequent conversion was missed, and this would become a major subplot in the first half. All four of Uganda’s tries were not converted, including the last try from Suzan Adong, who broke away and scored in the center posts.
The Zambians responded with a converted try in the first half, to briefly go ahead by 2 points, but the Cranes captain, Agnes Nakuya, took it upon herself to put Uganda ahead before the break, with the score at 07-05.
In the second half, Samiya Ayikoru scored next to the poles after selling a dummy and run to the try line, but not without the attention of the Zambians.
The Ugandans continued to put on a nervy display, conceding penalties and totally abandoning their game plan. There were instances where the Lady Cranes had scrums that they failed to execute, either conceding a free kick or the scrumhalf getting caught in possession.
If the Lady Cranes clean up their set piece and stick to the game plan set forth by coach Charles Onen, they should be able to fly through the quarterfinals and into the semis, without the hangover of the cagey 20-14 victory against Zambia.