Heathens land elusive win at Entebbe leg of Nile Special 7s

Solid outing. Entebbe 7s MVP Joachim Chisano (with ball) get Pirates captain Ivan Magomu out of the way in their semifinal clash hich ended 31-0 in favour of Heathens. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE

What you need to know:

  • Heathens the most successful side in this competition with 11 titles but the last came in 2013.

It is hard to recall when Heathens last walked away from a National Sevens Series leg as winners.

One might have to go through a series of archives to fi nd out as the last three editions have had Kobs, Stanbic Black Pirates and Toyota Buff aloes win on diff erent occasions.

Aft er coming so close in recent years, the men in yellow finally arrived on Saturday by winning the Entebbe 7s, the second round of the Nile Special 7s, held at Namate Works Ground.

In the opening round last week, the Yellow Machine finished sixth and could manage only 12 points after a disappointing loss to Pirates in the
quarters.

In Entebbe, the two giants met at the semifi nal stage and Heathens pounced with revenge with a 31-0 win, they had also earlier met in a pool A encounter which ended in a 7-7 stalemate.

The final pitted Heathens against Jinja Hippos and they had to come from a try down aft er Dennis Etwau had put the Hippos ahead.

Joachim Chisano spearheaded the comeback to help Heathens win 12- 10 and move second on the log with 34 points.

Chisano, who in his fi rst season at Heathens has grown into a fan favourite was absent last weekend with a shoulder injury but turned up in Entebbe to make the diff erence.

He was all over the place and made Heathens look a diff erent side altogether.

His exploits in defence and offence where he scored 10 tries made Heathens a tougher opponent.

In the end, the Kenyan-born was an easy choice for most valuable player.

“I’m so happy for the individual award but it is the team win that counts more for me. We have not won a sevens championship in ages and winning legs like we did today gives us a chance,” Chisano told Daily Monitor.

Heathens the most successful side in this competition with 11 titles but the last came in 2013.

With performances similar to what they displayed in Entebbe, there is a great feeling they can challenge for the title this term.