Magomu miles better than I was, admits Tumusiime
No-look: Magomu (left) making a sweet pass to Philip Wokorach in Saturday’s 48-24 defeat to the mighty Namibians at Legends. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO
Kampala. Edmond Tumusiime or Victor Kalimugogo? The debate regarding Uganda’s best fly-half never goes beyond the pair.
Tumusiime, a 2007 African rugby champion, is now endorsing Ivan Magomu as more than a fitting heir to the throne.
It’s an endorsement for Magomu who has less than 10 caps and only made his national team debut last year. “He (Magomu) is already way better than I was,” Tumusiime told Daily Monitor.
“He has potential to even get better,” Tumusiime, who retired in 2008 at the age of 24, suggested. He made a return in 2011 but was never the same.
The eulogy doesn’t stop there. “His temperament is big on top of opting for the best choice of decisions when playing in this era where the game has evolved a lot,” the engineer added.
Magomu, who occasionally talks to Tumusiime, is humbled by the latter’s praise despite having not seen him play.
“I never got to really watch him play but from what I hear about him, I’m humbled that he highly rates me,” Magomu, 24, said when the praise was made known to him.
The kind of success that Tumusiime managed, including three consecutive league titles between 2006 and 2008, is what Magomu hasn’t managed yet.
Tumusiime would go on to win Uganda its maiden Elgon Cup in 2006. “When our (Black Pirates’) time comes, we won’t stop winning,” Magomu warned. Adding that; “We have a young team sending shockwaves and no side wants to play us at the moment. I would have left for (Betway) Kobs or (Hima Cement) Heathens if I did not trust the system at Pirates.”
In Magomu, Uganda has found a gem to fill Tumusiime’s shoes just like the latter did after Kalimugogo left the stage.
After Tumusiime, Uganda tried out Allan Matsiko, Benon Kiza, Jasper Onen, Joel Kimuli, Brian Jemba, Ambrose Kamanyire and Chris ‘Opa’ Lubanga among others. None thrilled.
“(Today,) players are faster and fitter than when I played,” Tumusiime noted.
“The line of Tony ‘Stone’ Lugya, Timothy Mudoola and Allan Musoke made things easier for me because I played with the same at both Kobs and for Uganda. “That’s unlike Magomu who keeps playing with different lines but still forges chemistry,” added the former league’s Most Valuable Player (MVP).
AFRICA GOLD CUP
fixtures - Saturday
Namibia v Kenya
Zimbabwe v Tunisia
august 5
Uganda v Zimbabwe
Tunisia v Senegal
