Kobs’ travails should be a concern for all

Oscar Kalyango of Betway Kobs dives for a try against Buffaloes at Legends last week. PHOTO BY EDDIE CHICCO

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Comment. Without their talismanic skipper Brian Odongo, Kobs’ front row struggled last Friday against a Toyota Buffaloes side that surprisingly scrummaged strongly.

KAMPALA. Your columnist didn’t watch the match but was told that there was no love lost between Betway Kobs and Buzz Pirates when the two outfits squared off three Saturdays ago. Brian Odongo’s gouged eye certainly showed that pleasantries were in scant supply during the explosive tie.
Without its talismanic skipper, Kobs’ front row struggled last Friday against a Toyota Buffaloes side that surprisingly scrummaged strongly.


Buffaloes opted to crash through the middle rather than try and seek width that has come to define their play. By doing so, Buffaloes generated quite a lot of turnover possession. Kobs looked stunned. It took a shocking mistake from Buffaloes’ back Ronnie Musoke to turn the tide.


The Kobs front row was at its wasteful worst, and it was not just the tight head and loose head having a shocker. The hooker, Brian Opar, filling in for Cyrus Wathum, bungled most of his line-out throws. The situation, as with so many, was at its worst when Opar tried to make amends. He once was penalised for delaying to execute a line-out. It was one of those days really. Wathum was sorely missed.


Yet his explosiveness in open play notwithstanding, Wathum, Uganda’s best No.2 by a country mile, has not been immune to line-out flaws of his own. His throws have been red-flagged severally too.
This is a shame especially since the line-out has proven to be a key attacking platform. The line-out gives teams that have a mastery over it a clinical edge.
That Uganda showcases a mix of vulnerability and aggression in the hooker posi-tion is hardly comforting.
It takes away that tried and tested option of the driving maul from a line-out that could come in handy during the Rugby Afrique tier 1A tournament later this year.

Beacon of hope
Uganda’s rugby tale is of course one where horror mixes with glimpses of hope. Fly-half James Ijongat has been something of a beacon of hope. The sport has been yearning for a complete No.10 since Edmond Tumusiime parted company with the sport.


A hybrid No.10 that takes to running and kicking as a duck does water, Ijongat has done enough this season to show that he can be a starter with the Rugby Cranes 15s side.


The recent match that pitted Kobs against Pirates had an intriguing subplot to it that ran deeper than the animosity that has come to define the fixture. Two young No.10s were expected to audition for a role with the Rugby Cranes. Ijongat emerged from the competition with his reputation intact. Not only did he put on a kicking masterclass, but he outclassed Ivan Magomu in every department. Ijongat also left with a little momento after he breached his opposite number’s defences in a picture-perfect moment that fans live for. A further look at Ijongat, however, reveals a disquieting but almost tranquil truth.


The Kobs players’ line breaks are a beauty to behold. He, however, lets himself down by holding onto the ball for a split second longer. This is a lot of time in rugby, more so at Test level. Solve this drawback, and Ijongat will do himself a world of good.

[email protected], @robertmadoi