Winning the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup – Division 1 was only the beginning of the journey for the Lady Cranes Rugby 15s. The victory meant promotion to the big stage, where the Ladies now have to tussle it out with South Africa, Kenya and Madagascar, in a round robin tournament that shall run from 5th to 16th June, 2025.
The wider Lady Cranes Rugby squad started preparations for this competition on Monday at Kyadondo with a strength and conditioning session that entailed gym and field work. This means that the team once again only has 3 weeks of preparation, a challenge whose effects were evident in Ivory Coast against lesser competition, but something that could be punished by the better-prepared teams.
It is now all hands on deck, as 14 new players have been introduced to the squad, with rugby 7s stars Maimunah Nassozi and Juliet Nandawula being part of that initial training session at Kyadondo.
These new additions now face the challenge of assimilating into an already underprepared squad. Coach Charles Onen already acknowledged before the Ivory Coast trip that 3 weeks wasn’t adequate time to prepare his charges for the brand of rugby he wants them to play.
The Lady Rugby Cranes may, however, have a lifeline. This being a World Cup year, the WXV tournaments shall not take place, meaning there may not be a relegation from the top tier of African women’s rugby. This is all speculation for now, but what we are certain of, the ladies are going to Madagascar this June.
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