Uganda shifts focus to Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens tournament

KAMPALA, Uganda | Xinhua | After failing to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Repechage play-off in France last weekend, the Uganda Rugby Cranes have now shifted their focus on the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens tournament to take place in Mauritius.

Isaac Lutwama Nsubuga, the Chief Executive Officer of the Uganda Rugby Union (URU), confirmed to Xinhua on Tuesday the team will now take part in the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens in Mauritius.

“Playing in the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens is another platform for our young players to keep improving by playing at a high level with other top teams in Africa,” added Nsubuga.

The tournament will be played in two rounds at the Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mapou, with the first leg running from June 29 to 30 and the second leg from July 6 to 7.

Twelve nations will compete in both rounds of the tournament.

Uganda has been placed in Pool B alongside Burkina Faso, Tunisia and Cote d’Ivoire. Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, and Mauritius are in Pool A, and Pool C has Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana, and Algeria.

The top two ranked teams after the two rounds will qualify for the 2025 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series. Last year, Uganda Rugby Cranes finished third in the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens held in Harare, Zimbabwe. ■