St Mary’s College Kisubi edges Namilyango to rugby gold
Smack’s Checkie Ahumuza peels away from an opponent of Ntare School in their semifinal encounter on Thursday. PHOTO BY DARREN ALLAN KYEYUNE
Mbale- The banter is yet to fade on different WhatsApp platforms after St Mary’s College Kisubi (Smack) edged Namilyango College by the thread in the rugby 15s’ final at the Fresh Dairy Secondary School Ball Games on Friday.
Smack beat Namilyango 3-2 via drop goals after the two nemesis tied 9-9 in normal. The champions did not have most of their stars but luck was on their side throughout the 11-team tournament.
“It is massive a victory,” said Smack’s coach Paul Sekate. The surgeon at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital had to run back for duty immediately after the final.
His boys however went on chanting in the school bus, attracting a lot of attention through Mbale and deservedly so. This is Smack’s first title at the Games since 2013.
“It was really nice one,” Sekate, who started coaching this side in 2014, described the final. “I loved the competition and it is nice when every team brings out it’s A game,” said the Entebbe Mongers’ hooker.
Even without their top stars, fly-half Calvin Musoke has been the go-to man for Smack and he kicked in two penalties and a drop goal, only to be cancelled out by Ezekiel Opio who scored all Namilyango’s penalties.
“Had we had all our players, it is a game that we would have already killed off. So it is understandable that they pushed us to the end,” added Sekate.
Smack are big winners in this year having also defeated Namilyango 14-0 in the Schools Rugby U19 final last month.
In Mbale, Ntare beat Makerere College 17-5 for third place. Elsewhere, Kibuli SS boys led by Frank Tahebwa retained their lawn tennis title at Mbale Sports after defeating Kololo SS’s Frank Akankwasa and Ronald Wakholi 2-1.
Akankwasa had won his singles match 6-3 6-3 while Wakholi lost 6-4 4-6 6-7 before they surrendered the doubles match. Old Kampala beat last year’s runners-up Busoga College Mwiri for the bronze honour.
