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| Pirates (Defending Champions 15s) |
October 6 2018, sees the return of 15s rugby as the 20th edition of the Uganda Cup kicks off. Last year`s edition saw Pirates launch their clean sweep as they put aside Hima Heathens 21-30 in the final. However this year, they start their Cup defense by visiting Mbale Elephants. With this tremble looming over their heads, Pirates is faced with a new challenge, not of potential, but of consistency. Not much has been said about any new players, restructuring of team or change in administration however, that doesn't mean that they do not have a game plan for this upcoming season.
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| Ivan Magomu (Pirates Captain) |
Ivan Magomu, showed up in the National 7s tournament whenever he was in town and played for his side showing strong sportsmanship and leadership skills. History has it, that Ivan is a complex player to understand or even support but Pirates has developed an environment for him to grow as a leader and team player that not even the national team has managed to do for him. It will interesting to see what trajectory the other youngsters in Pirates take in their careers because of the foundation Pirates is providing for them.
Last season the Pirates caught all other teams offside however this season they all seem alert. It will be interesting to see if and how the pirates continue to dominate in UG rugby. The fast approaching Uganda Cup is Pirates` chance to prove they did not catch the rest off-guard last year. Its undeniable they were by far the best side last year but it was also hard to identify who would challenge them. KOBS had lost vital organs in the likes of Joseph Aredo and Ramathan Govule, a transition was on. Heathens faced similar problems from the departure of Asuman Mugerwa and Aaron Ofoyrwoth while Rhinos flatter to deceive. In a nutshell, Pirates were best placed to run things and did not slip up.
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| Hima Heathens |
This season every team has their eye on taking Pirates down. Heathens just made a big coaching change and brought in a lot of manpower from Buffaloes. However that is the easy part. Let’s talk team bonding, team chemistry and on field execution. How will they work through this going into a season where the favorites have minimal changes made to their squad. KOBS has made big changes too. However their team structure is still pretty solid. Leadership is strong and direction is pretty determined for this season. Rhinos has been silent through this transition but from past performances, Rhinos always shows up and this season might be their time to upset not only Pirates, but also KOBS and Heathens.
Warriors has come back into this with a new coach, new sponsor and a number of new players. The general team dynamic is revolutionary and it will be interesting to see how this translates into execution on the field and results on the scoreboard. Mongers hosted USIU over the off season. Other than that, they also were relatively quiet but you can never underestimate the Entebbe based squad. Mongers put on some impressive performances last season and its safe to say that there will be a very big battle in the mid portion of the standings table this season. Buffaloes lost a lot of players to Heathens however they did add a few gentlemen to their squad. Buffaloes always gives every opponent they face, a run for their money and its always entertaining to see which team they will upset next. They have a lot of tricks up their sleeve. With most teams keeping an eye on Pirates, they might not see Buffaloes coming.
Lastly, there is the new team on the block, Walukuba Titans that replaced Impis that as relegated last season. Are they ready for the big league, only time will tell.
KOBS and Heathens have all boasted their roasters with new faces with Pirates as the common enemy. Pirates` treble was never good news to KOBS and Heathens and they would love to make amends. Whether the reinforcements made by the chasing pack were well calculated, the answer will unfold in the next ten months. The Ivan Magomu led army is up for big season with a chance to silence doubters.
Uganda Cup Fixtures
(ROUND ONE)
Mbale Elephants vs Pirates
Stallions vs Dusu Pay Warriors
Impis vs Buffaloes
Soroti Rangers vs Shell Rhinos
Kyambogo vs Hima Heathens
Rams vs Hippos
Walukuba Titans vs Betway KOBS
Busitema University vs Plascon Mongers
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| 15s Rugby FANS |
