This week saw the cancellation of the entire 2019-20 rugby season by the Uganda Rugby Union. I’ve been observing and following the events that followed the announcement, and in this week’s email newsletter, I share with you my thoughts on some of the decisions taken.
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The Good
- The decision to end the season was finally taken despite being late. Realistically, there was no other way how it would have been done harmoniously across all levels to crown the season.
- URU covered all the bases in their decision. All competitions were covered, including the women’s which are usually forgotten about, the regions and schools. They also cleared the air on issues like the transfers and possible return date.
- Also, they made effort to explain their decisions, including the contested no promotion/relegation citing the incomplete status of some regional competitions that would take part in the promotional playoffs.
- By the look of things, there seems to be better communication and accountability from URU now than in the past as regards decision making, finances and planning.
The Bad
- I feel we could have been given more information on some specific topics. Like why January 23, 2021 was proposed as the return date. Does URU know something we do not about when the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions are going to end? Or have they chosen to play it safe and go for the latest possible return date? What is to happen to the personal protective equipment that was handed over to the clubs and facilities with hope that rugby would resume soon?
- A lot more was left to be desired about the near future of rugby in the country. Which competitions will be held in the new shortened season? For how long are the adjustments to the season going to last?
The Ugly
- The decision to award winners for the men’s season and not relegate the bottom-placed team appears to have been taken with a bias. For two reasons, because Rhinos is not the candidate one would have expected at the bottom of the table, and because the teams in the best position for promotion do not have enough clout and power to raise their hand. That aside, whichever decision URU took was going to be contested by some aggrieved parties. But to think that the thought of “had it been <team X> at the bottom, they would have been relegated” holds some water in rugby circles doesn’t look good at all. The union still has a lot more to do in earning the trust of all stakeholders in Ugandan rugby.
This week’s quiz question:
Who was the center referee for the Uganda Cup 2019 final?
Answer is at the end of this newsletter.
For you:
The team at Kawowo Sports have published content on the end of the 2019/20 season. This includes articles, videos and graphics on the website and on social media. You can check them out here.
Here is some content I’ve chosen for you to immerse yourself this week.
- My editor Franklin Kaweru chose his team of the season, picking the best of the best performers in the 13 matches played from November to March.
- In response, I decided to pick an alternate team of the season of my own to rival Kaweru’s and get the discussion going on whose was a stronger lineup.
It was only by coincidence that there wasn’t a single player who featured for the national men’s sevens on the team lists, but we are happy with the final outcome. What do you think about the two teams?
- We have also named our winners of the individual honours to be awarded when the league management committee decides on the official recipients.
Quiz answer: Sauda Adiru.
Thanks for reading this week’s Kawowo Rugby Switch! Let’s have a chat in my inbox on this, and other relevant topics in my email via ernest@kawowo.com or by just replying this email. 👋
