Discipline key to Rugby Cranes 7s final polish

The yellow card that Ian Munyani received at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham proved costly in the 27-15 loss to Kenya. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE 
 

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That 22-12 victory over Kenya in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup back in April at Kyadondo to ensure a place at the global showpiece was a testament of the work of the past six years.

So much water has gone under the bridge since Uganda qualified for a second successive Rugby World Cup Sevens, but none of those memories will fade.That 22-12 victory over Kenya in the semi-finals of the Africa Cup back in April at Kyadondo to ensure a place at the global showpiece was a testament of the work of the past six years.The exclamation mark came with a 28-0 victory over Zimbabwe to clinch a third African title since the Rugby Cranes 7s clinched their first in 2016.After that, coach Tolbert Onyango have played at the Commonwealth Games, finishing 10th in Birmingham, UK.The team also played at World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series in Chile, a qualifying event for the revered HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series. They finished sixth.  In many cases, the team has been let down by fine margins and indiscipline which they seek to polish over the next eight days ahead of the Rugby World Cup Sevens set for September 9-11 in Cape Town, South Africa.“Some of the things you have seen have been down to execution in those critical moments,” Onyango says. “Discipline is one of them.”In Birmingham, Uganda had two players receive yellow cards in the 27-14 loss to Kenya. Then, Philip Wokorach missed a conversion in a 12-all draw with Australia.To imagine that Australia have been the best 7s side in the World Rugby Sevens Series this year, clinching the title on Sunday in USA, affirms how close Uganda have been.Then in Chile, Uganda lost two key games to Germany by a grand total of six points, going down 17-14 in both. In the latter incidence, captain Michael Wokorach received a controversial yellow card.Uganda’s first game at the World Cup will be against Samoa. The team is hoping to improve on their 19th place in San Francisco, USA four years ago. 


RUGBY WORLD CUP SEVENS 2022QUALIFIED TEAMS – MENAFRICA: Uganda, Zimbabwe, KenyaNORTH AMERICA: United States, Canada, JamaicaSOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay ASIA:  Hong Kong, South KoreaEUROPE: England, France, Scotland, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, Wales, OCEANIA: Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, Samoa, Tonga