Pirates dig deep to edge Hippos, Heathens take lead
Pirates dug deep to beat Hippos. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Fredrick Mulindwa converted his penalty to cut the gap to four before Pirates took a 13-7 lead to the break after benefitting a penalty try of their own. Mulindwa split the sticks again through a penalty to stretch to 16-7.
Stanbic Black Pirates breathed a sigh of relief after edging Jinja Hippos 19-14 at Kings Park Arena in the Nile Special Rugby Championship over the weekend.
The Hippos had already shaken Kobs and Heathens and the Pirates heed to the warning signs.
Hippos took the lead after being awarded a penalty try early in the game as Haruna Mohammed was sin-binned for denying Brighton Bakasa a scoring chance with a high tackle.
Fredrick Mulindwa converted his penalty to cut the gap to four before Pirates took a 13-7 lead to the break after benefitting a penalty try of their own. Mulindwa split the sticks again through a penalty to stretch to 16-7.
Andrew Odhiambo added a try for Hippos as Yassin Wasswa made good use of the supplements but it was a little too late.
“I was frustrated because they failed to do the most simple things that we always practice but at the end [their strategy] delivered the result so it wasn’t very bad after all,” Mathew Odong, the Pirates coach told Kawowo in their livestream.
“The game was a tough one and definitely Hippos has come for the big boys and it’s good to see that competition. Unfortunately they had a few injuries but they turned up well,” he added.
Hippos’ Ricardo Quaresma side-stepped an incident that happened in his bench as he was seen taking on Isaac Rujumba in a verbal altercation that almost broke into a physical fight.
“It’s a game of high tempo and sometimes tempers fly but we curbed it and were good to go,” Quaresma said.
“They bossed us around the scrum a few times because they added a few more kilograms and we didn’t have an answer but we’re going to build from that. They should know that we’re knocking at the door
Elsewhere, Heathens dislodged Rhinos to move top of the table following their 36-17 win over Mongers in Entebbe.
Heathens lead with 16 points, the same as Rhinos but thanks to their superior points difference. Holders Pirates follow in third with 14, Kobs with 12 in fourth as Hippos close the top five with 11.
Nile Special Rugby Championship
Results
Men
Buffaloes 13-20 Rhinos
Pirates 19-14 Hippos
Mongers 17-36 Heathens
Kobs 24-13 Impis
Walukuba 23-07 Rams
Eagles 13-32 Warriors
Women
Thunderbirds 38-10 Ewes
Wolves 19-15 Panthers
Nile Rapids 05-77 Black Pearls
