Pirates outlast gritty Hippos in classic final

Clad in shimmering gold, white, and black, Hippos fans swarmed Bweyogerere with hearts full of hope and lungs full of song. 

The stakes were high, but the final was arguably one of the best, tightest, and most pulsating the Premiership has witnessed.

The daring Hippos fielded an unchanged XV for the entire 80 minutes but in the depths of extra time, that unwavering faith was undone, not by lack of heart but by the cruel limitations of a shallow bench that could not match Pirates' tidal wave.

Pirates wasted no time showing their teeth. In just the third minute, William Nkore confidently split the uprights from a penalty to hand the hosts an early 3-0 lead. 

Hippos, famed for their dominant scrum, found it neutralised by a Pirates pack that refused to budge, forcing them into open play.

Nevertheless, Hippos were not tourists. Odoi finished off a sublime team try that was coolly converted by Yassin Waiswa. Pirates responded like a side on a mission.

Haruna Muhammad, making his 100th appearance, bulldozed over for a try that Nkore converted to reclaim a 10-7 lead.

Nkore added a bold drop goal, extending the score to 13-7. Hippos hit back again in what was now turning into a see-saw affair. 

Tony Khadambi surged through to score as Waiswa’s boot reclaimed the slimmest of leads at 14-13 into the break.

Bench power

Pirates emerged from the breather like men possessed as Nkore’s restart unsettled Hippos backfield and in the chaos, Conrad Wanyama dotted down after slick movement. 

Yassin replied with a penalty, missed the next and then nailed a drop goal. But the storm was gathering and the white smoke started to billow at Kings Park.

Where Pirates had a goldmine of firepower on the bench, Hippos were stretched to the bone. 

The substitution arrived as coach Marvin Odong threw in Stephen Alul, Ivan Magomu, Desire Ayera, later joined by Alvin Rukundo, Edison Ariho and Jones Kamiza.

Waiswa faltered under the spotlight, skewing two crucial successive penalties that could’ve turned the tide. 

Instead, Magomu capitalised on a handling error to score though he fluffed the match-winning straightforward conversion that followed as the scoreboard read 23-23 at full time. 

The final act was nothing short of a shipwreck for Hippos. Their legs were spent. They were tested, stretched and drained. Pirates' second wind was now a hurricane.

Timothy Kisiga, Kamiza and Haruna each pierced through the Hippos line to score. 

Magomu made no mistake this time as he slotted the conversions with the poise of a man who had waited a year for redemption, Pirates’ famous anthem, inspired by Bob Marley’s famous track.

At the final whistle, Kings Park erupted in a sea of dark blue and white. Across the pitch Hippos slumped, not in shame but in exhaustion and heartbreak. 

Pirates had wrapped their third title but in truth, Hippos were not losing finalists but silver medalists. They forced Pirates to the brink and in doing so, gave rugby one of its most stirring finals.

NILE SPECIAL RUGBY PREMIERSHIP

Final - result  

Pirates 44-23 Jinja Hippos (a.e.t)