Impis once again find themselves in a position where they have to overturn a first-leg deficit in the National Rugby Premiership playoffs.
The Makerere side did the unthinkable against the KOBs in the quarterfinal playoffs, losing the first leg 23-12, but responding with a resounding 30-10 victory in the return leg to book their spot in the semifinal of the league playoffs.
That win unlocked a new milestone for Impis in the modern era, entering the Top 4 of Ugandan rugby, a ceiling that their opponents, the Buffaloes, are also cracking for the first time.
The Buffaloes, on the other hand, showed grit when they hosted the Mongers at Kyadondo. The Buffaloes had a narrow 4-point lead after a 22-18 win in Entebbe, but the mongers came out guns blazing in the second leg, earning a 12-00 lead in the first half, before crumbling in the second half to end the game in a 21-all draw.
Going into the second leg of the semifinal against Impis, the Buffaloes, who won at the Graveyard 20-11, will have to protect their 9-point lead throughout the 80 minutes to reach a historic final.
Where will the game be won?
The kicking from last Saturday was quite abysmal from both sides, but especially from the Impis. Darren Aine, the primary goal kicker for Impis, missed 5 of his 7 attempted kicks, including 1 conversion, while Buffaloes’ Yasin Waiswa only missed 2 of his goal attempts.
In open play, both teams were kicking straight to their opponents’ hands, but the Buffaloes had the edge, finding touch in some of those exit kicks. Impis, on the other hand, squandered a few touchfinders off penalties through their fullback Garvin Kirabo, something they need to improve on.Â
At the breakdown, Impis had the upper hand, thanks to the jackling prowess of Eighth Man, Pius Mpoza. The Buffaloes, however, were the most aggressive team in that area, ensuring the Impis did not recycle out quick and clean ball from the base of the ruck, something that disrupted the flow of the game. The Buffaloes left no ruck unchecked, something that could have worked in favour of the Impis if only they had exploited the spaces left on the outside.
Generally, the set piece worked in favour of both sides, with Buffaloes registering an 82% success rate on the lineout, while the Impis retained 88% of their own lineout throws.
With a total of 15 handling errors in the game, no team was able to dominate the other at the scrum, only Impis registering a try directly off the scrum early in the first half. While factoring in the weather conditions, the team that has improved further on their set pieces in the last week will have the edge on Friday at Kyadondo.
In their last 3 games, the Buffaloes have been behind on the scoreboard at halftime, but they come into this game with a 9-point lead. That should be cushion enough to see out a first period that shall be characterised by a barrage of attacks by Impis. Both sides need to stay strong and consistent throughout the 80 minutes, or else dreams shall be shattered at the de facto home of Ugandan rugby.