Rugby Cranes out to capture Kenya 

Since their first meeting back in 1958, the Uganda Rugby Cranes face off with the Kenya Simbas for the thirty-eighth time this weekend in Kisumu, writes, JOHN VIANNEY NSIMBE.

At stake, is the Elgon Cup. Like all previous meetings, it will be a grudge match especially after Uganda beat Kenya 21-20 to lift its first Victoria Cup on Sunday, November 5 at King’s Park, Bweyogerere.

Unlike the Victoria Cup, which has only existed for four years, the Elgon Cup has existed since 2004. Yet, with numerous editions played annually since then, Uganda has only won it twice, in 2006 and 2012. That just spells out how dominant Kenya has been. But on the back of last weekend’s success for Uganda, are takeaways, which the team will have to focus on perfecting or negating, if they are to win a third Elgon Cup.

To begin with, Uganda’s coach Fred Mudoola was pleased about the improvement his charges showed from the first game against Zambia.

“This time, we moved the ball quicker, and our decision-making in different situations was better. We put a lot of pressure on Kenya, and even during the break-downs, we did things that Uganda rarely does, like easily turning over the ball,” Mudoola said.

The Nile Special-sponsored Cranes did not have a good start to the game, giving away two tries early in the game. They looked shaky and nervous.

Perhaps, it was understandable because this is a team they had lost to 42-7 in their last meeting last year. But the fact that they re-composed themselves, is what pleased Mudoola.

In previous meetings with Kenya, Mudoola noted that Uganda were usually second best in almost every aspect of the game. But this time, the players stuck in there, giving Kenya a lot of trouble, including forcing them to give away penalties. The team also competed well during the line-outs, and on most occasions, stifled Kenya’s flow.

Mudoola is in no doubt that if they maintain that kind of intensity and a can-do attitude, the hurdle in Kisumu should not be a hard one to jump. Besides, in 2019, Uganda beat Kenya in Kisumu 17-13 in the first leg of the Elgon Cup then.

The attitude of the players is what gives Mudoola the conviction that they are on the right track. But that is not to say that they are the complete article. The captain, Ivan Magomu, who scored two first half penalties, and largely had a good game breaking up the lines with some exquisite passing, missed four penalties. That is a whopping 12 points.

It is such opportunities that Mudoola feels they must work on more and perfect, because they can prove crucial, when the chips are down. And indeed, it was a penalty taken by Uganda’s British born-fly-half, Liam Walker, who was introduced as a substitute that ensured Uganda edged out Kenya at the death.

Walker had earlier on missed a conversion, which denied Uganda two points. But the fact that in his second game for Uganda, Walker proved the kiss of life, was remarkable.

Mudoola could not be more proud of his guts and precision with the boot. Charles Onen, Walker’s coach at Buffaloes rugby club, said he is capable of so many top performances. He is not only a good kicker, but a fine play-maker and tackler, Onen said.

In a nutshell, Mudoola is the first coach to lead Uganda to the Victoria Cup, the same way he was on the first team to win the Elgon Cup in 2006 and the Africa Cup in 2007.