The 2017/18 Nile Rugby Premiership; Season Review

By Herbert Wafula.

This particular season promised to be the most entertaining so far and it has truly lived to my expectations thus far amidst some shocking results. We have never witnessed this kind of competitiveness among the top teams.

 Mr. Daniel Kaggwa, The Legends Bar and Restaurant proprietor and a former Rhinos player told me at the beginning of the Premiership that the top 3 teams will all come from Legends. Seeing the Hima Cement Heathens-the defending champions-collapse last weekend to Buffaloes for the second time this year has almost confirmed his words. A few weeks ago it looked like a 4 horse race but currently that has been reduced to three.

 Heathens’ Dynasty Crumbled

Heathens have so far lost 5 games in total against Buffaloes (twice), Pirates (twice) and once to Rhinos. They have 2 other tough fixtures at Legends against the Rimula Rhinos this coming Saturday and later against their biggest known rival, Betway KOBS. This has been so far the worst title defense and there are yet a handful of games remaining.

Hima Cement Heathens

They are certainly going through a tough rebuilding phase. I watched their Friday failed attempt to get one past their ‘little brothers’, the Buffaloes but despite their best effort they were found wanting in many aspects even in the set pieces. Buffaloes ensured that Heathens got scrappy balls from the Scrums and Line outs.

In all truth any team which can lose two of their biggest guns in the model of Asuman Mugerwa and Phillip Wokorach will have to struggle greatly to remain competitive.

Betway KOBS

The KOBS played their postponed match against the Hippos on Wednesday at Namilyango College and it was good game that saw Betway KOBS come out on top 45 - 14. We hoped to see former Captain Oscar Kalyango in this fixture but I guess we will have to wait just a little longer for the influential Ex Captain to return.

The Betway KOBS have struggled this year and the fact that that they led for most of the first leg is more to do with attitude and not with having better skills. The team also lost Joseph Aredo to Kenya Harlequins and Uganda Cranes Captain Brian Odongo to a nasty knee injury. This might be a great time for Oscar to return onto the field. 

The Pirates

To many neutral observers the Premiership seems headed to a new home and the clash between the Pirates and Rhinos might be the cherry on the cake this season. The Pirates are yet to lose any game on their pitch this season. The only loss was a board room decision which has not gone down well with many observers-more especially after the KOBS were allowed a rematch against Jinja Hippos.

Pirates vs. Buffaloes 

The Pirates side boasts of the best back row and half back combo in the competition in Isaac Rujumba, Musa Muwonge and Desire Ayera. The work rate of this trio is awesome. The long tested combo of Conrad Wanyama and Ivan Magomu has done enough damage to other team’s fortunes that no team complained of poor officiating while losing to them.

Shell Rimula Rhinos

The biggest and ‘baddest’ forwards are chilling at the Rhinos base and it will be interesting to see how far they have improved since the 1^st part of the league when they ‘miraculously’ lost to Pirates and KOBS.

Seeing them going about the resurgence in the 2^nd half against the Mongers at the house of pain was a scene you see once in a while and that probably that has been their best game so far.

The 2017/18 Nile Premiership champion will for surely be decided at Legends Bar and Restaurant this season. Any loss to the top 4 teams will be catastrophic in the team’s top honors this season. May the most deserving team win it with great aplomb .