Dominant Cranes into Rugby 7s WC

Thrills of triumph. Rugby Cranes Sevens’ fly-half Philip Wokorach belts out all his emotions after the victory yesterday. PHOTO/EDDIE CHICCO

By  Deus Bugembe

What you need to know:

  • The way Uganda beat Kenya epitomised what the side has been going through behind the scenes.
  • The were a well-oiled machine and a class better than the other 13 sides to show up. 

Rugby Cranes 7s were by far the best team during the two-day Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens tournament that concluded at the Kyadondo yesterday.

Everyone perhaps knew that, and Coach Tolbert Onyango’s team stamped it with a 26-0 rout of Zimbabwe to lift a third African title. 

Even after the morning downpour left Kyadondo waterlogged, nothing could dampen the noise of the huge crowd that saw Uganda qualify for a second successive Rugby World Cup.

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Kenya finished third and will join Uganda and Zimbabwe in Cape Town, South Africa, as the continent’s representatives.

The two finalists also qualified for the July Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England. 
“We had to go all out for our fans .We Know what it means to them. It’s great that we are returning to the World Cup and will also play at the Commonwealth Games,” captain Michael Wokorach told Daily Monitor.

This is how good this team was with  an electric start to the final when Ian Munyani touched down between the posts. 

The second try came from Aaron Ofoyrwoth. The game was done before captain Michael Wokorach and

Thomas Kisiga ensured that the southern Africans were humiliated – their second loss to Uganda in Africa Men’s final after 10-7 in 2017 at the Legends Rugby Club.

Cranes’ superstar, France-based Philip Wokorach, converted all bar one of the tries in the final. That trophy-clinching performance was only the icing to a cake that was baked on Saturday. 
On Day One, Uganda walloped Burundi 71-0, Tunisia 29-0, Zambia 40-7. Day Two had familiar results with a 50-0 win over West Africans Burkina Faso and a 22-12 win over Kenya in the semifinal. 

The way Uganda beat Kenya epitomised what the side has been going through behind the scenes. The were a well-oiled machine and a class better than the other 13 sides to show up. 

Ofoyrwoth took over the playmaker’s mantle like he was born for it while Adrian Kasito pocket Kenya’s ‘Water Buffalo’ Alvin Otieno – one of the best players in the world. 

Africa Rugby 7s Finals...Uganda's results - Day 1

Uganda     71-0     Burundi
Uganda     29-0     Tunisia
Uganda     40-7     Zambia
Day Two
Uganda     50-0     Burkina Faso
Semifinal
Uganda     22-12     Kenya
Final
Uganda     26-0    Zimbabwe

dbugembe@ug. nationmedia.com

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