Uganda Rugby Cranes 7s have won the first leg of the 2024 Africa 7s.
The Cranes saw off Madagascar 31:12 in the final at the Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mapou, Mauritius, on Sunday evening.
The final was a result of an unbeaten first leg tournament starting from day one on Saturday, 29th June.
Uganda easily saw off the other three opponents in pool B on day one.
Despite a slow start, the Ian Munyani-captained side beat Ivory Coast 22-17 in the first game. A Nobert Okeny hat trick of tries inspired the Cranes to a 43:00 mauling of Tunisia in the second game.
The Uganda Rugby 7s maintained a mean defence into the final pool game against Burkina Faso. They scored 29 unanswered points against the Burkinabe.
Onto day two, Ivory Coast posed a threat, pushing Tolbert Onyango’s charges into extra time. A yellow card to Adrian Kasiito slowed down momentum as the match ended 10 all.
However, the ever-brilliant Phillip Wokorach took matters into his hands, sending the Ivorians home with a golden try in extra time.
The win against Ivory Coast set up a semi-final clash against pre-tournament favourites South Africa. The Blitzboks had eliminated another favourite, Kenya, in their quarterfinal match.
However, the Cranes were unfazed as Aaron Ofoyrwoth led a memorable Cranes performance against South Africa. Uganda scored two unanswered tries against the Bokke, winning 12:00.
Uganda Rugby 7s too good for Madagascar
Finally, it was time to close the first leg against an impressive Madagascar side.Two quick tries from halfback pairing Adrian Kasiito and Aaron Ofoyrwoth set the tone for a one-way encounter against a usually relentless Madagascar side.
Ofoyrwoth got his double at halftime, and the teams went for a breather at 17:5. A mix-up at the restart by Uganda flattered the Makis, bringing them within 5 points. However, Nobert Okeny and Timothy Kisiga touched down quickly after to secure the Uganda Rugby Cranes’ win.
Uganda moves into the second leg of the tournament as the top-ranked seed. All the teams will have a five-day break on the beaches of Mauritius ahead of the July 6-7 climax.The top two ranked teams after the two rounds will qualify for the 2025 World Rugby 7s Challenger Series.
Uganda’s win puts them in a strong position for the Challenger Series. Another advantage the Cranes have is that pre-tournament favourites Kenya and South Africa are already in the World Series. The two don’t need to take part in the Challenger Series, which is a qualification path to the World Series.
Discover more from Ugandan Exclusive
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
