Ayera winning World Cup race

Desire Ayera pursues the ball. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE 

What you need to know:

Without him, captain Michael Wokorach, Allan Aturinda and Ian Munyani had to do the ball carrying duties in South America.


The loss of Desire Ayera to a knee injury has been greatly felt by the national rugby sevens team – the Rugby Cranes 7s.

Ayera is the team’s primary ball carrier. Some could add that Ayera, also DJ Fufu, is also the mascot of the side.

In an attempt to turn over the ball against Tonga at the Commonwealth Games, he twisted his right knee.

That kept the 23-year old out of the subsequent World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile where Uganda finished sixth.

On Tuesday, Ayera was able to re-join his teammates in the ongoing training at Kyadondo ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens set for September 9-11.

“Yes, he is back and training already. Fully fit,” Tolbert Onyango, the Rugby Cranes 7s coach, declared yesterday.

Without him, captain Michael Wokorach, Allan Aturinda and Ian Munyani had to do the ball carrying duties in South America.

The fitness of Ayera is a critical decision ahead of naming the final team for the World Cup tomorrow.

While Onyango doesn’t want to give much away, it’s unlikely that he will change much from the team he used in Birmingham and Chile.

In addition, there are six players who are hoping to make a second successive World Cup having been part of the side in San Francisco, USA four years ago.

Among those are Michael Wokorach, France-based Philip Wokorach, Ayera, Adrian Kasito, Aaron Ofoyrwoth and Timothy Kisiga.


PROFILE

Name: Desire Ayera

Age: 23

Height: 172cm

Weight: 87kg

Club: Stanbic Black Pirates

Education: Uganda Christian University, Mukono

Played at the 2018 Rugby World Cup Sevens