If winning the Uganda Cup in 2024 took the individual brilliance of Tina Akello and sheer luck, then the 2025 title may go Nile Rapids’ way by means of the accumulated experience of the unit.
The young ladies from Jinja have only grown from strength to strength since they broke out on the national scene as an invitational side in the National 7s. The Rapids have since become a competitive side in the 15s as well, not only staying up in the 15s league, but also competing favourably against the bigger sides.
In the last Uganda Cup campaign, the Rapids had to go through the Black Pearls, who were the 15s league winners at the time, before facing the Avengers in the final. This year, the Rapids dealt with the Avengers at the semifinal stage in a game that proved the 2024 win wasn’t a fluke. That game also proved that it is no longer a ‘one-woman show’ at Rapids, with fullback Minat Namono running in the try that brought them back into that semifinal encounter.
After that final last year, Akello told 2BobSports, ‘it’s not energy that plays rugby, it is the heart and passion,’ a statement that not only still rings true today but is well alive in both women’s finalists. Size and energy may not be the main determinants in Saturday’s fixture, but passion will, and the Rapids seem to be overflowing with it.
“The girls are excited, though a little nervous but in a good way. We have worked for this moment all season and you feel the fire is there in everyone. The girls are locked in, because when we are training the girls are laughing, having [teasing] each other and I feel we are just ready to fight for it again,” remarked Akello.
It’s not every day that the Nile Rapids walk into a 15s game with a target on their backs, and that is why Akello isn’t taking this final with the seriousness it deserves.
“As the defending champions, we are treating the final as a new challenge with a new competitor. We are going to be hungrier for the game because we know what it takes, we know the pressure, but we trust our rugby. We are going to stay calm, stay disciplined and we are going to let our style of rugby speak for us,” she noted.
For Akello and the Nile Rapids, defending the Uganda Cup would be more than winning any other game of rugby, as she explains.
“Winning the final would mean a lot to us because it’s not just a trophy; it is proof that our hard work and sacrifices are now paying off. So winning the Uganda Cup again would be a message to everyone that Rapids rugby is here to stay,” captain Akello noted.