Black Pirates lifted their 3rd consecutive Rujumba 7s title to go top of the table in the National 7s series after two stops.
The Pirates left with a perfect record of 6 wins out of 6 games while having a glimpse of what the final would look like after defeating Heathens on Day 1.
That 17-10 victory for the Pirates came with a huge price to pay as Conrad Wanyama was ruled out for the rest of the tournament with a head injury. That same incident also cost the Heathens, as Aaron Ofoyrwoth, the offending party, was slapped with a 10-match ban.
In the knockout phase, the Pirates ran riot against the Rams in the quarterfinal, defeating them 31-00.
The real challenge came against the resurgent KOBs, who had welcomed back players like Joseph Aredo. That tight encounter saw the Pirates come from behind to score a winning try and conversion through Roy Kizito and Jones Kamiza, respectively, in the last play to win 19-14.
In the final, the Heathens were stunned when Pirates scored two quick tries through Kamiza and Jeremiah Ojambo to go ahead 14-00. The Pirates were then punished when Allan Karuhanga received a yellow card, with the Heathens scoring through Patrick Okello.
Malcom Okello’s casual conversion went wide, but he had the opportunity to redeem himself when Alphonse Openy scored center posts to bring the score to 14-12 for Pirates.
The second half of the final was an emotional rollercoaster for the players and fans as the lead in the game exchanged hands twice.
Malcom Okello’s 2 tries and a conversion put the Heathens 24-14 ahead, before the tides in the game turned for the Sea Robbers once more.
The introduction of Haruna Muhammad and Nicholas Kato in the second half proved to be a genius move as the two combined to put Pirates ahead and seal the final, 26-24.
That victory confirmed that the Black Pirates had completed the Rujumba 7s 3-peat, with the last side to touch the accolade being Heathens in 2023.
Meanwhile, the Black Pearls completed their Rujumba 7s 3-peat last year, but have since struggled both in the league and now in the 2026 National 7s, where they are at the bottom of the women’s log.