Mongers’ dismal performance on Kyabazinga 7s Day One rings alarm bells

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Plascon Mongers started the 2024 Nile Special 7s Series last month in a high gear. They finished fourth during the opening Entebbe 7s circuit at home but since then, four rounds later, their performance has been far from convincing.

Day One of the Kyabazinga 7s in Bugembe today has rung all the alarm bells for Mongers.

The Entebbe side have lost all three of their pool matches; 36-07 to KOBs, 48-00 to Black Pirates, and 26-00 to Kakira Simbas. They only showed up for the first two minutes of the tournament, when they scored their lone try against KOBS.

Fielding a largely inexperienced and youthful squad could explain the dismal performance. Only two players from the Entebbe 7s; Dylan Ssewankambo and Edusei Irumba, are in action at the Kyabazinga 7s this weekend. The rest of the squad have been picked from the fringes of the large training squad and from the reserve league side Jjengo.

But, perhaps worryingly, it is contrary to all other teams in the competition who have fielded their best men. Observing from the outside, the results and squad composition could be a symptom of a malaise that is eating up the rugby club from inside.

For the third successive round, Mongers will play in the Challenge Cup (kicking off at 8.50 a.m.) on Day Two. They will take on Warriors on Sunday morning.

Men’s Challenge Cup Quarterfinals at 2024 Kyabazinga 7s:

QF 1: Rams vs Walukuba Trojans

QF 2: Warriors vs Mongers

QF 3: Impis vs Busitema Boons

QF 4: Kakira Simbas vs Mbale Elephants

Do Mongers have the will and resources to salvage their tournament or will it go from bad to worse?

Mongers vs Pirates on Kyabazinga 7s Day One Credit: Philip Kairu for Nile Special/Uganda Rugby Union/TW

On the other hand, the men’s Cup Quarterfinals will kick off at 10.10 a.m. while the women will need to conclude their pool first before confirming their Cup Semifinals fixtures.