Nobert Okeny will captain a new look Uganda Sevens rugby team which departs on February 25 for Cape Town, South Africa to play in the first two legs of this year’s World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series from March 7-8, 2025.

Coach Tolbert Onyango is optimistic of a good performance and has already set his eyes on the penultimate round in Los Angeles where the top four teams from the Challenger Series shall play the bottom four teams in the Series to have a chance to climb to the core status. 

The team has four new players who will make their debut in the second tier tournament. They are Allan Karuhanga, Jones Kamiza, Malcolm Okello, Arnold Ocen and Daniel Otim. Otim and Okello have already had exposure by playing at last year’s Safari Sevens in Machakos, Kenya.

Some of the regulars who have been retained are Alex Aturinda, one of the co-captains with Okeny, Karim Arinaitwe, Roy Kizito. Alan Olango, Patrick Okello and Aron Tukei. 

Changes in the team

Onyango who has been rotating his team had hinted there could be changes when last interviewed by SNA. He had indicated some of the players in the larger squad were keen to embrace the new challenge. 

Most rugby fans will miss some of the familiar names who are out or the country. They include Philip Wokorach, Adrian Kasito, and Aaron Ofoyrwoth. 

Uganda has been drawn in a tough Pool C that has Brazil and Samoa, a former WRSWS core team. Onyango commented that under the new format, there is no room for slipping. “You must win every match,” he added.

The 12 men’s and women’s teams shall play the two tournaments in Cape Town under a new format that was introduced last year by World Rugby in back-to-back tournaments in the WRSWS Circuit and played for the first time in Cape Town. In this format, the 12 teams placed in four pools of three teams each.

Pool winners

Only the winners of each pool proceed to the knock-out cup semi-finals bypassing the quarter finals. The second-placed teams play for the fifth to eighth positions and the third-placed teams drop to the lower tier where they contest the ninth to 12th positions. 

At the end of the first two legs, eight teams with the most cumulative points proceed to the third round to be played at the Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland on April 11-12 where the top four teams shall progress to the playoff in LA from May 3-4. 

Uganda Sevens squad: Alex Aturinda, Nobert Okeny (co-captains), Karim Arinaitwe, Roy KIzito, Allan Olango, Patrick Okello, Aron Tukei, Allan Karuhanga, Jones Kamiza, Malcolm Okello, Arnold Ocen, Daniel Otim. 

Cape Town

Women’s Draw

Pool A: South Africa, Czechia, Hong Kong China

Pool B: Argentina, Thailand. Mexico

Pool C: Belgium, Uganda, Colombia

Pool D: Poland, Kenya, Samoa

Order of play: Kenya v Samoa, Uganda v Colombia, Thailand v Mexico, Czechia v Hong Kong China, Poland v Samoa, Belgium v Colombia, Argentina v Mexico, South Africa v Hong Kong China, Poland v Kenya, Belgium v Uganda, Argentina v Thailand, South Africa v Czechia.

Men

Pool A: Germany, Japan, Georgia.

Pool B: Chile, Tonga, Portugal

Pool C: Samoa, Uganda, Brazil.

Pool D: Hong Kong China, Madagascar, Canada.

Order of play

Hong Kong China v Madagascar, Uganda v Brazil, Tonga v Portugal, Japan v Georgia, Canada v Madagascar, Samoa v Brazil, Chile v Portugal, Germany v Georgia, Canada v Hong Kong China, Samoa v Uganda, Chile v Tonga, Germany v Japan