An exciting Uganda Sevens team which has a sprinkle of seasoned players and five debutants put up a sterling performance to finish second in Pool B of the World Rugby Challenger Series in Munich, Germany.

In the opening match, the Cranes soared over Tonga 26-12 and Mexico 33-12 before losing 12-35 to the eventual pool toppers Hong Kong China. On Sunday, they must go toe-to-toe with red-hot Chile who were edged out 17-12 by Kenya in extra time in Pool C. 

The performance did not surprise coach Tolbert Onyango who has been forced to stretch his playing unit to avoid a burn out ahead of two crucial competitions – Olympic Sevens Repechage in Monaco and Africa Cup in Mauritius. 

Uganda will be one of the 12 teams traveling to Monaco to battle it out for the one remaining slot for the Olympics in Paris in July. Consequently, Onyango rested most of his key players after the charge for a possible core status fizzled out when they failed to reach the knock-out stage in the second tournament hosted by Uruguay in Montevideo.

Exciting talent

From Munich, Onyango spoke to www.thesportsnewsarena.com about the changes and some exciting talent that emerged in Munich. The former Kenya and Mean Machine scrum-half who has been at the helm of this team for over seven years was satisfied with the performance of his charges on the opening day. “Winning two matches and qualifying to the quarters is commendable from this team,” the coach admitted.

The exclusion of seasoned players demanded that those should take up leadership roles.

Three of these were William Nkore (the captain), Norbert Okeny and Alex Aturinda who has played only a few matches for the national team. Okeny crosses the try line six times on the first day scoring one try against Tonga, two in the match against Hong Kong China and a hattrick against Mexico.

The tournament in Munich has given Onyango more options by unlocking new talent. “Players had the opportunity to show what they have got on a big stake like this,” Onyango observed. On the hindsight, the coach admitted the technical bench was always cautious and heavily relied on true and tested players. “You find gems when you rotate the squad,” he added.

Gems unlocked

Such gems unlocked what could have been missing from the playing unit made up of the regular players. In Munich, Onyango identified three players whom he declined to name but intends to use in future. 

The women’s team who will also be in Monaco for the Repechage scrapped to the cup quarter final in Krakow, Poland. They narrowly lost 14-17 to Uruguay in their opening match and edged out Papua New Guinea 27-26 in the second before being blown away 31-20 by Argentina. Uganda are due to play against China, the top seeds in the quarter final on Sunday.

China, who flew into Poland as the top seeds, won all their Pool A matches against Czechia, Honk Kong China and Thailand to cement their place at the top. 

While China and Argentina are likely to finish top of the pack and book their place in the play-off in Madrid, Spain, the next two slots could go to Belgium, Uganda, Kenya and Poland. 

After the Series concludes in Madrid, Spain, attention will turn to the Olympic Repechage qualifiers in Monaco from June 21 to 23, 2024. 

The draw for Monaco

Men

Pool A: South Africa, Chile, Tonga, Mexico; Pool B: Great Britain, Canada, Uganda, China; Pool C: Spain, Hong Kong China, Papua New Guinea, Brazil.

Women 

Pool A: Argentina, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Samoa; Pool B: Hong Kong China, Paraguay, Jamaica; Pool C: China, Poland, Czechia, Mexico.

Day one results

Men

Pool B: Hong Kong China, Mexico,Tonga,  Uganda

Uganda 26 Tonga 12, Hong Kong China 54 Mexico 7, Uganda 33 Mexico 12, Hong Kong China 45 Tonga 5, Tonga 35 Mexico 14, Hong Kong China 35 Uganda 12. 

Cup quarters: Kenya v Germany, Hong Kong China v Tonga, Uruguay v Georgia, Uganda v Chile.

9th place semi-final: Japan v Papua New Guinea, Portugal v Mexico.

Men’s standings: Uruguay 36 (109), Kenya 36 (83), Chile 32 (78), Germany 26 (106), Hong Kong China 26 (96), Tonga 18 (-13), Japan 15 (32), Uganda 14 (63), Georgia 10 (-76), Portugal 9 (-54), Papua New Guinea 4 (-58), Mexico 2 (-366). 

Women

Pool B: Argentina, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Uganda

Uganda 14 Paraguay 17, Argentina 25 Papua New Guinea 5, Uganda 27 Papua New Guinea 26, Argentina 29 Paraguay 7, Paraguay 31 Papua New Guinea 10, Argentina 31 Uganda 20.

Cup quarters: Argentina v Kenya, Poland v Czechia, China v Uganda, Paraguay v Belgium, 

9th place semi-final: Papua New Guinea v Hong Kong China, Thailand v Mexico.

Standing after two tournamentsChina 40 (270), Argentina 34 (147), Belgium 26 (106), Uganda 28 (-68), Kenya 24 (23), Poland 22 (103), Thailand 18 (28), Hong Kong China 11 (-48), Czechia 9 (-25), Paraguay (6 (-136), Papua New Guinea 5 (-88), Mexico 3 (-312).