Magomu ban takes shine off decent story

The ban on Rugby Cranes captain Ivan Magomu and the saga surrounding the organisation of the Nile Special Rugby Premiership took the shine of an otherwise decent year, during which Uganda hosted her first-ever Rugby Africa Cup.

The country overcame initial fears about the readiness of host venue at Mandela national Stadium with makeshift organisations at the outside pitch serving the purpose.

The July tournament, that doubled as the first stage of the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers saw Zimbabwe beat Algeria in the final. Eight top nations in Africa participated including Senegal, Kenya, Namibia, Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso.

“It is a very big milestone for rugby growth in general in Africa, but especially for the region of East and Central Africa, and Uganda in particular. This event will manifest the growth of rugby in our East African region, and as in Uganda,” Uganda Rugby Union’s president Godwin Kayangwe remarked.

Despite this progress, the Rugby Cranes fell short, losing 22-20 to eventual winners Zimbabwe in the quarterfinals. Ahead of the tournament, the team underwent a high-performance camp in South Africa which included some build-up matches in June, part of a partnership between URU and the Blue Bulls Rugby Union. The camp aimed to enhance players' skills, but its impact remains debatable.

The question of whether the Cranes improved from the high-performance camp or not is subjective. Last month, they showed flashes of improvements after narrowly losing 27-25 to Kenya in the Elgon Cup with the loss largely attributed to a missed kick. However, the team, like it has been the trend of late, imploded as they lost 21-5 at Bweyogerere as Kenya extended their record to 14 titles to Uganda’s three.

Uganda’s inconsistent performances are likely to persist until the union fully professionalizes the game by contracting 15s players, similar to the shorter code. Short-term training camps organized close to competitions will only yield part-time results.

Controversial ban

The team also felt the absence of Ivan Magomu, their captain and arguably the country’s best fly-half. His strained relationship with the union reached unprecedented depths when he was stripped of the captaincy and banned from rugby activities for six months.

The union’s honorary secretary Peter Odong cited two charges against Magomu. The first related to an alleged altercation with referees during his club Black Pirates’ league match against Heathens in the 2024 final on June 1 at Kyadondo. This charge was dismissed as time-barred.

The second that attracted the sanctions involved comments he made against NCS secretary general Dr. Bernard Ogwel on social media. Magomu accused Ogwel and his associates of prioritizing personal interests over athletes' welfare.

Despite challenging the ruling on grounds of bias and unfair hearing, the appeals committee found no evidence to overturn the disciplinary committee's decision. His ban, if effected fully, means that he will miss Pirates’ five opening games of the season as he is set to return to action on Valentine’s Day.

League reforms, mixed feelings

Talking about the league, the 2024 edition brought with it thrills and heaves. The union experimented with a new mixed format that involved two phases; a one-way league format and then playoff rounds for both the title and relegation.

Contested by 12 teams, the top eight advanced to the Championship playoffs and the bottom to the relegation battle.

While Heathens secured their record 17th title in a season where they swept a treble, Jinja Hippos were the most-improved team as they upset the status quo to finish second behind Heathens in the regular season. They were unlucky to narrowly lose to Pirates in the semifinals despite winning one leg.

Meanwhile, Kobs faced challenges, including the union’s decision to block their new Guinness-branded jerseys and reduce home games at Legends.

Black pearls also rolled to victory in the women’s league with impressive numbers scoring a record 119 tries with 69 of them from Peace Lekuru and conceded only 27. They collected 710 points in total from the 12 wins from twelve games played, missing a bonus point only once against Thunderbirds.

The 2025 season, set to start on January 11, promises unpredictability and excitement as the gap between top clubs and underdogs continues to narrow. One such team to watch next season is the new kid on the block, Victoria University.