7s side in tough pool
Hand-off. Uganda Cranes star Lawrence Ssebuliba fends off a challenge against Zimbabwe in the Africa Cup final at Legends Rugby Ground last year in October. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
KAMPALA.
The Sevens Rugby Cranes have a busy year ahead with the Commonwealth games in Australia, the Hong Kong HSBC World Rugby Series qualifiers and the World Cup all in line.
With the Hong Kong event and the Commonwealth Games in Australia separated by a week in early April, coach Tolbert Onyango knows a lot of work awaits his side especially after going through the pools for the Gold Coast after they were released yesterday.
“It’s a tough group because it has two sides that have played in the series for almost the last 12 years,” Onyango told Daily Monitor yesterday. Uganda is drawn in pool D alongside three time World Series champions Fiji, 2009 Rugby Sevens World Cup winners Wales and Sri Lanka who were also pooled with Uganda at the 2014 games in Scotland. “But we have to give it our best shot,” he added.
Sri Lanka look like the side many Ugandans would fancy Onyango`s men to overcome but the latter is thinking differently. “They (Sri Lanka) are a side from Asia. Of late, many tournaments are being organized in Asia unlike here. That makes Asians side better,” he explained.
Like most national sides, the Sevens Cranes face challenges in a year where they have the chance to change the face of Uganda rugby at large.
If Uganda attained core status of the World Series, it would be a completely different ball game because of the dividends the status comes with.
“There are too many challenges we face especially financial ones but we have to quickly formulate a way forward,” said the former Heathens full back.
The side resumes training next week for early preparations which will call for players to withdraw from their clubs despite the league being in progress. The last Commonwealth Games saw Uganda bow out at the semifinal stage of the Bowl while last year`s World Series qualifiers saw Uganda fall 10-14 against Papa New Guinea in the quarters.
The four rugby pools
POOL A: S. Africa, Scotland, PNG, Malaysia
POOL B: England, Australia, Samoa, Jamaica
POOL C: NZ, Canada, Kenya, Zambia
POOL D: Fiji, Wales, Uganda, Sri Lanka
