2010 IN REVIEW: Clubs share honours, Rugby Cranes decline

Kampala

A fainthearted pundit could have equated MTN Heathens’ dominance of local rugby to an unwelcome habit. So dominant was the Kyadondo RFC-based giant in 2009 that it was easier to forget about challenging them.

One of Uganda’s two most successful clubs had swept the local calendar, winning the Nile Special Premier League, Uganda Cup, National 7s circuit and the inaugural Super Cup.

Their fears and envy were not too far off as Heathens retained the core of the winning team. Michael Wokorach, Benon Kiiza, Arthur Mukama and Jude Keremundu were only getting better under coach Peter Magona - also a former Heathens and Rugby Cranes captain.

“This is the best blend of players I have seen over the years in terms of youth, seniority and talent,” Magona often said. The result was cruising to the league title, losing only once in the process to utl Kobs. Magona moved on giving way for Brian Tabaruka.

This provoked others into fighting from then on. Unpredictably, Makerere University Impis led the way in knocking Heathens off their perch. Not long after ending a near-eternal partnership with Hima Cement, Impis cruised to the National 7s circuit which was sponsored by the former backers of the university side.

Rejuvenated Impis
Marlon Ondiegi, Juma Hillary, Romano Ogwal and Rodney Turyatemba led Impis brilliantly as they won in Entebbe and the home leg at the ‘graveyard’ before finishing as runners-up in the Kitaka Memorial 7s at Kampala RFC and Namboole.

The latter two showcased a bright future for the local game. Toyota Buffaloes triumphed against the odds in the penultimate event much to the delight of the huge crowd that ran onto the pitch to join captain Jasper Ochan as he converted the final try to defeat Impis.

It was bound to get better with rugby breaking new ground in taking the game to Mandela National Stadium, Namboole. Kobs crowned the 7s season with another Allan Musoke-inspired victory. “It’s always been our target to take the game to a wider mass other than the elite and in doing so, we become the first country in Africa to host rugby in a dominantly football stadium,” William Blick, the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) chairman, said.

Adding; “more is yet to come because we want to take the game to Nakivubo stadium in the heart of the city soon.” The 7s were gone and Kobs were quick to continue their late season renaissance by defeating Heathens 14-10 in the Uganda Cup held at Dam Waters ground, Jinja.

Much of the success earned by Uganda’s most illustrious club came through the growth of sensational winger Lawrence Wakabi plus the return of senior players in Richard Lumu, Tony Luggya and Adrian Bukenya.

Still promising
On the other hand, G4S Pirates remained a club with great promise even after they snatched Hillary, Kenyan Ondiegi, Turyatemba and re-signed Mpuga ‘wiggie’ Rugumayo from Impis. Joel Kimuli headed for Heathens leaving Pirates needing answers at fly-half which they never found in time to break their three-year trophy drought.

Many could have forgotten the fact that Pirates started the season with a South African coach Andre Barnard who returned to his home country during the season in a manner yet to be properly explained. The Kampala RFC-based team slid to almost falling into the same boat as Entebbe Mongers. The latter have made significant strides in recent years in a bid to end the stranglehold of the ‘big three’ to no avail.

This time, Mongers managed to defeat Kobs at Kampala and run close to Heathens and Pirates in narrow losses. Ambrose Kakuru, Andrew Olweny, Adrian Wasswa, got maiden calls to the Rugby Cranes to cement Mongers’ rise under coach Sam Nikoma. All this was happening on the backdrop of the national team’s worst display in years.

Dismal Cranes
Home and away losses to neighbours Kenya failed to mask an unconvincing victory over Zimbabwe in the expanded Victoria/Elgon Cup. Kenyan coach Ham Onsando barely improved anything when it came to the 2007 African champions envisaged in the loss of form of last years’ best player Scot Oluoch. Bomb blasts at Kyadondo brought a premature end as Uganda couldn’t travel to Harare in order to protect players mentally.

The efforts of Kiiza at fly-half and fullback were almost unnoticed. It all culminated into Onsando losing his job following an abysmal four-month stint that took rugby eight years backwards into the second tier of the Confederation of Africa (CAR) Cup.

Uganda last played in this division in 2002 but the decline in the International Rugby Board (IRB) rankings made it inevitable with Kenya, Namibia, Tunisia and Morocco being the four nations in the first tier. Rugby Cranes will now have to contend with Ivory Coast, Zimbabwe and Madagascar next year. Perhaps, they were only picking a page from the national 7s team.

Little impression
Coach John Musoke’s team barely made an impression at the Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. An exit in the Bowl semifinals remains the only positive for a side that lacked adequate preparations beyond the annual Kenya Safari 7s where they reached the Main Cup quarterfinals for the first time in four years.

Actually, Delhi is mainly referred to in remembering the expulsion of Lenny Kikonyogo from the team following his refusal to train and eventual ban by URU upon returning.

To crown a horrendous year that left Uganda with only two victories in the past 24 months, Kenya’s Mwamba came to town to seal the deal by winning the Makerere 10s tournament. They routed Kobs 38-7 like a knife cutting through butter to silence the optimistic crowd at the ‘graveyard’. Clubs structures remain strong even though Rugby Cranes have developed a sinking feeling that must be arrested soon.