Elgon Cup: How Ugandan rugby suffered kick in the teeth as Kenya yet again clipped its wings

If you've been to a rugby game, this routine is anything but alien to you. The kicker takes three steps back and three steps across. They then almost repeatedly lean forward and back again. Stop. Hitch their shorts before hunching their shoulders.

Stares at, first, the posts and, then, the ball soon take centre-stage. A run up follows the adoption of a powerful stance. Then, bang, the actual kick off the tee happens, with the kicking leg, hopefully, hitting the sweet spot. If you are nearsighted like your columnist, the flag of the assistant referees will help you figure out what transpired.

In both Elgon Cup legs against the old foe, Kenya, Uganda’s kickers—team captain Ivan Magomu and replacement stand-off Liam Walker—had something of a mixed bag. While there was, thankfully, no shank akin to a 25 handicapper's on the golf course, misses were not in short supply. The aforesaid misses left Rugby Cranes fans wondering what might have been as the wait for a first title since 2015 continues.

While an assessment that simply states Uganda paid the penalty for poor kicking has a nice ring to it, only half the story is told. Yes, it would be revisionist to overlook Walker's two penalties misses at the backend of the return leg in Kisumu. Had they split the posts, the Rugby Cranes could well have punched their ticket. A fourth Elgon Cup title could easily have been on the cards, keeping Kenya’s tally stuck at a dozen.

Ironically, it was a successful last-gasp kick—off Walker's boot, to be specific—that secured the Victoria Cup at Kenya's expense a couple of Saturdays ago. The match, which doubled as the first leg of this year’s Elgon Cup, brought the round-robin competition to a grandstand finish after both hosts Uganda and Kenya had previously beaten Zambia. 

Coming top in the winner-takes-all arm-wrestle at King's Park in Bweyogerere, albeit by the slimmest of margins—the odd point, felt enchantingly good for many a Ugandan. Post-match, one of the readers of this column reached out to yours truly and spoke with very agreeable and hopeful expressions. Uganda not only dominated the loose, but the tight five also illuminated the scrum frailties of their opponents.

There were flashes of this dominance in Kisumu. Ditto the drawbacks. And we are not just talking about the kicking here. Just as was the case in the first leg, the dearth of quality wings was ruthlessly exploited by the Kenya Simbas in Kisumu. Fijian-born Kenyan international Jone Kubu needed little invitation to show their discomfort under the high ball.

In its last three Test matches, Uganda has improvised at wing with loose forwards and fullbacks asked to hold the fort. The absence of out-and-out wings speaks to a moribund system that keeps toiling—unsuccessfully—to produce quality players in bulk.

With the Uganda Rugby Union intent on having standalone 15s and sevens teams, as indeed should be the case, the moribund system must be jolted back to life. While this fundamental problem has been articulated before, this column cannot stress enough how schools' rugby can help solve what now looks like a fiendish puzzle.

Just as important is establishing why gems unearthed by schools' rugby do not have the conviction to fight until the [bitter] end.

That said; the green shoots that sprouted as the Rugby Cranes took part in both the Elgon Cup and Victoria Cup competitions over the past weeks have not been lost upon this column. It will, however, be vitally important that the responsible authorities do not rest on their laurels. Whereas their valiant efforts should not go unnoticed, they should be cognisant of the fact that a lot more can be done.