The Uganda Cup was scheduled to mark the start of the 2024-25 season this weekend but will wait as it was postponed by the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) on Wednesday night.
The decision to postpone was made, according to a statement published by URU, to “prioritize player welfare and ensure adequate rest for players after an intense and demanding season.”
The Rugby Cranes just concluded their tests with the Elgon Cup a week ago while the Lady Rugby Cranes 7s won bronze at the Africa 7s a fortnight ago.
However, on a closer look, that’s only twenty-seven players from eight of the twenty participating men’s teams and twelve from five of the eight participating women’s teams. The rest of the over a thousand players last played XVs rugby before June 2 when the 2024 championship final was played.
No sooner had URU announced the postponement on Wednesday than eight – men’s and two women’s – of its member clubs organised pre-season friendly matches and off-season tournaments for Saturday.
This not only poked holes in URU’s justification for the decision, indicating that the clubs were more than eager to compete, but also accelerated the rumour mill in the rugby corridors about its worrying financial status.
At Kyadondo Rugby Club, Toyota Buffaloes will host Rhinos in what they have called the “Horny Affair Cup.”
The biggest rugby event of the weekend will happen across the Nile River. The second edition of the Eastern Giants Cup will feature four men’s teams (Walukuba Barbarians, Njeru Hurricanes, Elgon Wolves, and holders Jinja Hippos) and, for the first time, two women’s teams (Nile Rapids and She Wolves).
It will be played over two rounds at Damwaters Rugby Club.
For the official start of the 2024-25 season with the Uganda Cup, URU does not have a new date in sight yet but wrote that “the revised tournament dates will be confirmed and announced in due course.”
2025 promises to be an equally busy year for Ugandan rugby and likely more crucial.
The Rugby Cranes will compete in the 2025 men’s Rugby Africa Cup for a ticket to the 2027 men’s Rugby World Cup. Both the men’s and women’s 7s national teams will compete in their respective Rugby Africa 7s tournaments for qualification, potentially, to the 2026 Rugby World Cup 7s.
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