Despite sending a fresh and inexperienced squad to Munich for the final round, Uganda Men’s campaign at the 2024 World Rugby HSBC 7s Challenger ended the way it had started.
With a clear indication that the country now lies in the no man’s land of the 7s world. Stronger than the rising nations and those in free-fall but still an arm’s distance behind those ahead or on their way up.
There are examples to look at from Munich. Like the 26-12 victory over Tonga in Pool B on Saturday and the 24-14 defeat by Chile in the Cup Quarterfinal on Sunday.
It does not matter any more who makes the travelling squad for Uganda, the outcome has become the same. A defeat early in the knockout stages but a performance one will not lose sleep over.
Occasionally, there are performances that fall outside this trend. For example, the crashing 48-00 defeat by Kenya in the 5th place playoff on Sunday.
Four years of featuring in the 7s Challenger Series and not reaching the semifinals yet the opponents and winners have changed is a symptom that Uganda has plateaued. We hit the road in the mid-2010s but the destination is still miles away in the mid-2020s.
Just as they did in the past decade with decisions like creating a 7s academy, splitting the 7s from XVs, and playing two-day circuits, Uganda Rugby Union (URU) and the management of the national 7s program need to re-think how it is run. Inside out, in its entirety, from top to bottom. So that they can start to realise forward and upward trajectory again.
The low hanging fruits, some of which already exist in URU’s strategic plan and were mentioned in manifestos, include; reopening the 7s academy, organising more schools and university tournaments in conjunction with the concerned institutions, and getting more and/or new coaches in the setup. Playing more invitational tournaments where the players and team have free-range to express themselves, experiment, and are not under pressure to deliver results will make a difference when they get to the business end of things.
It goes without saying, of course, that money will ease this process.
The next tournament on the calendar is the Olympic Games Repechage on June 21-23 in Monaco. The Africa 7s in Mauritius will follow immediately on the next weekend.
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