Impis once again find themselves in a position where they have to overturn a first-leg deficit in the National Rugby Premiership playoffs.

The Makerere side did the unthinkable against the KOBs in the quarterfinal playoffs, losing the first leg 23-12, but responding with a resounding 30-10 victory in the return leg to book their spot in the semifinal of the league playoffs.

That win unlocked a new milestone for Impis in the modern era, entering the Top 4 of Ugandan rugby, a ceiling that their opponents, the Buffaloes, are also cracking for the first time.

The Buffaloes, on the other hand, showed grit when they hosted the Mongers at Kyadondo. The Buffaloes had a narrow 4-point lead after a 22-18 win in Entebbe, but the mongers came out guns blazing in the second leg, earning a 12-00 lead in the first half, before crumbling in the second half to end the game in a 21-all draw.

Going into the second leg of the semifinal against Impis, the Buffaloes, who won at the Graveyard 20-11, will have to protect their 9-point lead throughout the 80 minutes to reach a historic final.

Where will the game be won?

The kicking from last Saturday was quite abysmal from both sides, but especially from the Impis. Darren Aine, the primary goal kicker for Impis, missed 5 of his 7 attempted kicks, including 1 conversion, while Buffaloes’ Yasin Waiswa only missed 2 of his goal attempts.

In open play, both teams were kicking straight to their opponents’ hands, but the Buffaloes had the edge, finding touch in some of those exit kicks. Impis, on the other hand, squandered a few touchfinders off penalties through their fullback Garvin Kirabo, something they need to improve on. 

At the breakdown, Impis had the upper hand, thanks to the jackling prowess of Eighth Man, Pius Mpoza. The Buffaloes, however, were the most aggressive team in that area, ensuring the Impis did not recycle out quick and clean ball from the base of the ruck, something that disrupted the flow of the game. The Buffaloes left no ruck unchecked, something that could have worked in favour of the Impis if only they had exploited the spaces left on the outside.

Generally, the set piece worked in favour of both sides, with Buffaloes registering an 82% success rate on the lineout, while the Impis retained 88% of their own lineout throws.

With a total of 15 handling errors in the game, no team was able to dominate the other at the scrum, only Impis registering a try directly off the scrum early in the first half. While factoring in the weather conditions, the team that has improved further on their set pieces in the last week will have the edge on Friday at Kyadondo.

In their last 3 games, the Buffaloes have been behind on the scoreboard at halftime, but they come into this game with a 9-point lead. That should be cushion enough to see out a first period that shall be characterised by a barrage of attacks by Impis. Both sides need to stay strong and consistent throughout the 80 minutes, or else dreams shall be shattered at the de facto home of Ugandan rugby.

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Coach Muhammad Athiyo has made two changes to the team to face South Africa, handing Gertrude Kateesa a starting role and introducing Gorret Babirye for her international debut.

The Lady Cranes suffered a 43-10 defeat on opening day to hosts, the Kenya Lionesses, and immediately shifted their focus to the next game.

According to Charles Onen, the assistant coach of the ladies, that game is now behind them, but with a major takeaway.

“We believe that there are a couple of lessons learned [against Kenya], our defence was really, really bad—missed tackles, the line speed was not there,” Onen noted in an interview with Uganda Rugby media.

The Lady Cranes have gone for consistency, maintaining almost the same team from the weekend to this midweek encounter. This provides stability and match fitness with the broader target of defeating Madagascar’s Lady Makis again at the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup.

In the previous edition, the Ugandans fell victim to a 62-07 defeat to South Africa, a gap that couldn’t have been realistically closed in a 15s game within a year.

For the Lady Cranes, this game is an opportunity to clean up some areas and get their systems going before the decisive one.

“Moving into this game against South Africa, we look forward to a better game, changing some stuff around our defence, and hopefully the girls get to execute it so well,” Onen remarked.

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Ugandan International Adrian Kasito has extended his stay in France with Tricastin Rugby Club.

The 2022 Male Player of the Year moved to France in 2024 from KOBs RFC, where he had played all his senior career.

Kasito is a versatile player who has played wing, fullback and scrumhalf at the international level, and now for his club. 

Through social media, Tricastin Rugby announced that Kasito had been retained for the 3rd season.

“Adrian Kasito will continue the adventure with the club next season…he will continue his commitment to serving the team and bring all his energy to the field,” the caption partly reads from Tricastin via Instagram.

Kasito’s decision to stay with Tricastin comes after a period of significant personal and professional growth.

“It has been a challenging season, but I’ve grown from every part of it — the good and the tough moments. For me, rugby is bigger than anyone or any situation in the team, so I just want to keep giving everything I’ve got every time I step on the pitch,” said the utility back.

Additionally, Kasito recently made a big move, getting drafted into the India Rugby Premier League 7s.

However, this tournament coincides with the Rugby Africa Cup 7s for which Kasito had been selected to represent Uganda.

“Well, when I heard I’d been drafted for Season 2 of the India Rugby Premier League, I was both excited and grateful for the opportunity. Unfortunately, it overlaps with the Africa 7s, so I’ve made the decision to take the India opportunity and let other Ugandan players step up and prove themselves.

“I’ll be wishing the Uganda 7s the very best. Believe in yourselves no matter what, because that’s what makes you unstoppable,” Kasito notes.

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