Test of recovery powers for Lady Cranes XVs

If rankings were anything to go by, Uganda should have a good shot at the ongoing Rugby Africa Women’s Division I Championship.

The Lady Cranes XVs side arrived in Ivory Coast ranked 39th by World Rugby. Only Tunisia (31) are ranked higher. The hosts rank 50th while Zimbabwe is 53rd.

Coach Charles Onen's team largely disregarded that ranking to dominate Tunisia in the early exchanges of the 27-10 victory last Friday. They had to survive a scare in the second half.

With the East Africans’ Sevens rugby contingent providing the flair for the Lady Cranes to flourish. Uganda led rather comfortably at half-time, 20-5.

Tries from Peace Lekuru (3), skipper Angella Nanyonjo and Lydia Namabiro represented a bumper harvest in what was a fast start. Bushira Namutebi converted the last try.

Lekuru and Namabiro are mainstays of the Lady Cranes 7s team that has won the Kenya Safari 7s, bronze at the Africa Sevens and reached the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series finals in the recent past.

However, the scoreline didn’t fully reflect Tunisia’s resilience and effort.

The North Africans matched Uganda in intensity but were let down by critical handling errors and knock-ons at decisive moments.

With more composure, the game could have unfolded quite differently in the second half.

Onen is also smarting from prop Patricia Anek going off injured. There is only a short recovery window as Uganda face the hosts on Tuesday.

“We can’t be going so physical against the other teams because they seem to be big girls,” Onen emphasized, aware that all the other teams are physically superior.  

“For us, it’s all about dwelling more on how strong our set pieces can be so that it gives us a very good attacking base to play a running game that can suit the majority of the players we have,” he noted.

This tournament marks Uganda’s first appearance in a continental competition for the longer code since November, 2023 and with it, represents a fresh start for a team looking to rebuild and climb back into the elite bracket of African women’s rugby.

The top team will qualify for the 2025 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup scheduled for mid this year and a potential pathway to the 2028 Women’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers.

South Africa, Kenya, and Madagascar await in what promises to be a thrilling showdown of the continent’s best.

Rugby Africa Women’s Division I Championship

Lady Cranes XVs

Result

Uganda 27-10 Tunisia

Fixtures

Today: Ivory Coast vs Uganda, 7pm

Saturday: Zimbabwe vs Uganda, 3pm