When Kabras Sugar RFC comes to town, they’ll find a different shape of Heathens than the one they last played here in 2015.
Heathens have remained successful despite going through lots of changes in the past decade. The current Heathens squad is a transitional team, with most of the players expected to step up or step out if they do not fill the void left by club greats like Michael Wokorach, Philip Wokorach and Charles Uhuru.
Familiarity is one of the reasons why this transition hasn’t been so painful for the Heathens, and coach Tolbert Onyango is well aware of this.
“I think it’s an important stage in Uganda’s rugby. We know ourselves and pretty much the way we play, except for this season where we have had teams like Impis and Victoria University giving everyone a bloody nose,” he notes.
It’s upon that premise that Onyango has emphasised the importance of the return of the Enterprise Cup to Uganda.
“It’s a crucial time for Ugandan teams to size themselves up against the Kenyan teams and see where we are at in terms of our level of rugby. Obviously, most teams are undergoing some sort of rebuilding, and it will be interesting to see how they match up against our formidable opponents from Kenya,” remarked the Heathens gaffer.
Facing the title holders is no small deal for the Heathens. Onyango is happy for his boys as they get to play champions, an encounter he believes will leave them a better team. After 6 league games, he hopes his troops have picked up match fitness.
“We have lost a few [league games], won some, and we have taken lessons from the losses, so I believe that has prepared us enough to be able to go on and take on Kabras,” he says.
Heathens’ flair was on full display when they played the Victoria Sharks in their last domestic league game. Going into the Enterprise Cup quarterfinal, Onyango expects the same, and even better, from his team.
“The target for the team is to play according to the structure, that’s it. Once we play according to the structure, we should be able to deliver on the little bits we have assigned ourselves. Win or lose, as long as we play according to our structure, I think that would be a major boost for me as the coach.”
With only a week between the league and the tournament, Onyango has prepared his team to expect anything on Saturday.
“I believe most of the players in this squad have never played against a Kenyan side before, so it’s going to be pretty interesting to see how they match up. After that, we’ll be able to share stories about how hard it was or how soft it was, or how interesting and competitive it was,” he jovially remarks.
Eliminating the title holders is going to be a herculean task for the Kyadondo side, but it’s going to be a great learning experience, whichever way the result goes.