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Ruggers earn bounty for Africa 7s diadem
What you need to know:
- Kings Of Africa. The African champions were feted by sponsors at sumptuous dinner for their heroics that saw them qualify for the World Cup and Commonwealth Games. The money is a bonus to be shared by players and technical staff.
Amidst the pomp and praise of qualifying for a second successive Rugby World Cup Sevens and a fifth straight Commonwealth Games, the Rugby Cranes 7s still have their eyes on the ball.
On Thursday night, Nile Breweries hosted the national 7s teams – men and women – to an appreciation dinner at Kabira Country Club.
It was so different from the sacrifice, sweat and blood of the past few weeks as the two sides fought to make it the big stage. The men cruised to a third Africa Rugby 7s title at Kyadondo while the women came fourth at a similar event in Tunisia. Here they came to wind down and enjoy music played by DJ Alysha plus a sumptuous performance by lady artiste Winnie Nwagi, who delivered what was expected.
Financial rewards
Uganda Rugby Union (URU) backers – Nile Breweries Limited – through their Nile Special brand – rewarded the players financially.
The men shared Shs58m while the Lady Cranes pocketed Shs500,000 each for a total of Shs10m.
The men’s bonus was split into several categories. The five-man management team, led by coach Tolbert Onyango, received Shs3.5m each.
A dozen players who made the final team for the two-day Championship played at Kyadondo got Shs2.625m. The next category of players, six in all, left Kabira with Shs1.5m each. These six were part of the training squad but didn’t make the final team.
These announcements were part of Nile Special unveiling Shs9.8b sponsorship package for rugby which will run for the next four years.
While thanking the sponsors, Rugby Cranes 7s captain Michael Wokorach reminded his colleagues of the task ahead.
National Council of Sports (NCS) chairman Ambrose Tashobya promised that there will be state recognition in due course with Sports State Minister Hamson Denis Obua pursuing it.
2022 RUGBY WORLD CUP SEVENS
QUALIFIED TEAMS - MEN
AFRICA: South Africa (hosts), Uganda, Zimbabwe, Kenya
OCEANIA: Fiji, New Zealand (defending champions), Samoa, Tonga, Australia
EUROPE: England, Scotland, France, 1 to be determined
SOUTH AMERICA: Argentina, Chile, Uruguay
ASIA: Hong Kong, South Korea
NORTH AMERICA: USA, Canada, Jamaica
WOMEN
AFRICA: South Africa (hosts), Madagascar
EUROPE: France, 1 to be determined
NORTH AMERICA: USA, Canada
SOUTH AMERICA: Brazil, Colombia
OCEANIA: New Zealand (defending champions), Australia, Fiji
ASIA: China, Japan
NOTE: The 2022 tournament, which will again comprise 24 men’s and 16 women’s teams, will be played over three days in one venue in September. It will take place at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa between 9 and 11 September, 2022.
RUGBY/LADY CRANES BREAKDOWN
Team management
Shs3.5m each = Shs17.5m
Category A players
Shs2.625m each = Shs31.5m
Category B players
Shs1.5m each = Shs4.5m
Category C players
Shs1.5m each = Shs4.5m
Women
Shs0.5m each = Shs10m