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Hippos edge Pirates, Heathens dominant
Jinja Hippos' second half blitz overcame Pirates. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Pirates showed their intentions earlier in the game with pace and energy but Hippos lived up to their billing as giants of the deep waters.
Jinja Hippos fought from a 14-point deficit at halftime to take a slim 28-27 first-leg advantage over defending champions Black Pirates in the Nile Special Rugby Championship semifinal first leg in Jinja on Saturday.
Pirates showed their intentions earlier in the game with pace and energy but Hippos lived up to their billing as giants of the deep waters.
Elvis Opira dotted down after eight minutes and dealt with the extras expertly to keep the home crowd tossing their glasses.
Heathens' forward Joaquim Chisano with the ball against several KCB Kobs defenders. PHOTO/EDDIE CHICCO
Ivan Magomu missed a penalty a minute later but tied his laces well for another kick, converted his try, Timothy Kisiga and Paul Bagota’s to sail the visitors to a 24-10 lead at the break.
“We analysed ourselves at halftime and realized there was a problem in our number three and you know Magomu can spot any gap and we were failing to move from our half with exit kicks,” Aziz Bagalana, the Hippos captain, narrated their halftime pep talk.
“So we resolved to play from their half and improve the speed of racks and by that, we managed to get them offside,” he continued.
Indeed, their plan worked as Jacob Ocen touched down, Opira converted it before splitting the upright twice with two penalties, the last coming a minute after Magomu’s for Pirates.
Brighton Bakasa gave the home crowd a reason to toss their bottles again with a sweet try after slaloming through the black shirts to cross the line as Opira made it 28-27 with five minutes remaining.
Pirates' prop Alema Ruhweza runs away from Hippos players. PHOTO/JOHN BATANUDDE
“We had a 14-point lead but failed to manage it but we have to give credit to the Hippos because they came strong in the second half and were rewarded. We just have to go back, reorganize and plan for the second leg next weekend,” Pirates playmaker Magomu said.
At Legends, Heathens took a healthy 11-point lead to the second after crossing Jinja Road to beat Kobs 29-18 at Legends.
The return legs will be played on Saturday and Sunday next week for the two pairings.
In the relegation playoffs played at Kitante, Kampani Eagles and Impis cancelled each other out in a 13-all draw. The loser of the tie next week will be relegated to the regional league.
Nile Special Rugby Championship
Semifinal playoffs – first leg results
Kobs 18-29 Heathens
Hippos 28-27 Pirates
Relegation playoffs
Eagles 13-13 Impis
