Coach Athiyo expects Heathens to sink Pirates’ ship in Nile Rugby Premiership

KAMPALA.

Hima Heathens coach Mohammed Athiyo is a man of few words but chooses his moments to put a point across. His side got off to a flying start in the Nile Special Premiership with a 31-8 win over Hippos last week but a whole different ball game awaits them when they visit Buzz Pirates at Legends today.
Pirates have emerged winners in the last two meetings with a 20-13 result in the same fixture last season and a 31-20 win in the Uganda Cup final earlier this month. As Pirates aim for a third consecutive win over Heathens, Athiyo has other plans.
“We have to win this,” he told SCORE. “Yes, we have lost the last two but the Uganda Cup loss had its toll on us because we never showed up in the game. We started poorly and recovered late on in the second half, we have worked hard and it will be a different game,” he explained.
Pirates coach Bobby Musinguzi stated how their Cup win would come with bigger responsibilities and there is no doubt that beating the big boys regularly. Today presents another chance for them to make even a bigger statement if they get the win. “As coach it is my responsibility to ensure we win all games, now our fans and the rugby fraternity have high expectations from us,” he said before playing down the significance of a third consecutive win against Heathens.
“With the season just beginning, apart from building up the momentum, the third win will only be a statistic,” he added. Elsewhere, Kobs visit Hippos in Jinja while Warriors host Mongers at Legends in a fixture that will offer many thrills and spills.