Prime
Uganda, Kenya go for lead
Lady Cranes captain Peace Lekuru (with ball) will lead Uganda against Kenya today with hope of replicating her MVP perfomance against Zambia.PHOTO/ JOHN BATANUDDE
What you need to know:
Both Uganda and Kenya were 36-17 winners over Zambia last week, giving themselves a chance to win the pool. The two East African rivals have top place and a spot in the next stage World Cup qualification to fight for when they meet this afternoon at Wankulukuku War Memorial Stadium.
The final match of Pool B of the Rugby Africa Women’s cup has turned out to also be the most important with pool leadership yet to be decided.
Both Uganda and Kenya were 36-17 winners over Zambia last week, giving themselves a chance to win the pool. The two East African rivals have top place and a spot in the next stage World Cup qualification to fight for when they meet this afternoon at Wankulukuku War Memorial Stadium.
History suggests Kenya has the edge in this one. In the last eight meetings, Kenya has won seven with Uganda’s last win coming in the return leg of the 2013 Elgon Cup. It was a 13-8 win at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds that also saw Uganda win the third Elgon Cup. Kenya has gone on to dominate recent fixtures including a 77-23 aggregate win in the 2019 Elgon Cup. Coach Leo Lubambula is aware of his side’s poor record against Kenya but he thinks times have changed. “They have won in recent times but I believe we now have players of better quality and we are more confident,” he told Daily Monitor.
Lubambula has challenged the Lady Cranes to play with hunger and make life hard for their Kenyan counterparts in what promises to be a cracker. “We want to score first and keep our heads ahead early on. Dominating set pieces and winning our collisions will also give us an advantage because the hungrier side that wants the game more will win it,” he added. Against Zambia, Uganda blew hot and cold but won, they will not be afforded time to switch off against Kenya who have a bonus point advantage on the log after scoring four tries against Zambia despite not being at their best. “We didn’t start off as we expected against Zambia. We played in the wrong territory, we were not kicking tactically, and we did not use our opportunities well.” Said coach Dennis Mwanja. That might be good news for Uganda who plan to catch Kenya off guard early on.
Today at Wankulukuku
Uganda vs. Kenya 4pm
Results
Uganda 36-17 Zambia
Kenya 36-17 Zambia
GROUP B, RUGBY AFRICA WOMEN'S CUP
TEAM | P | W | L | BP | PTS |
KENYA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 |
UGANDA | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
ZAMBIA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
