Take advantage of Rugby Cranes success
Before the Uganda Cranes’ first qualification for the Africa Cup of Nations after a 38-year lull could be washed away with controversy, the national rugby team brought more success to the Pearl of Africa.
Rugby Cranes won their first Africa Cup 7s title in Nairobi, Kenya despite not being among the fancied teams heading into the two-day event that ended last Saturday.
Uganda was rated way behind Zimbabwe, Kenya and Namibia. Disregarding what history or resources suggested, Rugby Cranes 7s beat all three to win the tournament.
Over the two days, the team’s star Philip Wokorach, a victim of two leg breaks in his short stint in rugby, thrilled and enticed the crowd at the Safaricom Stadium, Kasarani.
Consequently, Uganda qualified for World Sevens Series qualifiers to be played during the Hong Kong Sevens in April, 2017.
Rugby Cranes will also take part in the 2016 Dubai 7s this December and thereafter head to South Africa for the Cape Town 7s.
Of course, rugby is tougher to sell to the Ugandan public compared to football. Most of those involved with the game have been to affluent schools with Namilyango College acting as a cradle. So, it’s going to take some explaining from the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) to everyone about the benefits of this success.
URU need not look too far for comfort. Neighbours Kenya have benefited in leaps and bounds from their routine appearances in the HSBC World Series.
The players earn a lot from being part of the lucrative 10-leg circuit. Besides, Kenyan rugby stars, brothers Colin Injera and Humphrey Kayange, have become icons of the game globally.
Kayange was chosen as one of the ambassadors that pushed for the reinstatement of rugby as an Olympic sport after 92 years. There are things you cannot quantify like the kind of introduction that Shujaa has given to Kenya to people in Dubai, Cape Town, Wellington, Gold Coast, London, Vancouver, Singapore, Sydney, Paris, Las Vegas and Hong Kong where the World Series is played.
Last season, 715,000 fans watched the games in the various cities, while 6,000 hours of action were broadcast in more than 100 territories for the first time.
There were also as many as 61 million video views. Imagine what these numbers could do for Uganda. Wokorach is more pleasing to the eye than Kayange with the oval-shaped ball in hand so pushing this team further should be a no-brainer for the union here and the line ministry.
The issue: Rugby Cranes.
Our view: There were also as many as 61 million video views. Imagine what these numbers could do for Uganda. Wokorach is more pleasing to the eye than Kayange with the oval-shaped ball in hand so pushing this team further should be a no-brainer for the union here and the line ministry.
