Our URU Awards: Coach Tolbert, Aredo, Wokorach, M. Mudoola and Participating Teams all Deserve ‘MY’ Award

The pain you feel today certainly will be the strength you feel tomorrow! Good fortunes! Congratulations on your merited triumphs. Congratulations on your win, on your fearless effort; on your achievements and wish you many congratulations for your future sports.

Wishing all of you the specific best. As the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) 2022 achievers` Nile Special Awards nears this month on a Friday 18^th November, The Investigator’s Sports Editor has his take here. The list is long for the awards but we shall shorten the same and give you our perfect men and women, players, teams and coaches having arguably been the season’s best.

The discipline

To begin with, lets first congratulate the man who disappointed many a rugby fraternity member for helping himself to the award of the most undisciplined player of the year. Mr. Gabriel Aredo. And for his indiscipline, this rugby player Aredo was banned for 10 months over assaulting a journalist. In a video, Aredo appeared physically assaulting Johnson Were over unclear reasons last September, during a Kyabazinga Sevens Match at Bugembe Stadium.

The players

Who said that Michael Wokorach is……? yes, definitely we are proud to mention that he takes the award for the best player of the year. From Heathens to the national 15s teams as an Assistant Captain, to the national 7s arm band as Captain, Wokorach remains the force to reckon with. He captained teams to qualifying for World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

Wokorach led the team to their second World Cup appearance in Cape Town, South Africa. Earlier, he had been to Birmingham for the CWG’s in the UK. For a player who made his debut for Uganda nearly 15 years ago, there is much he has witnessed in that time for a side that now has grown by leaps and bounds.

He has scored tries everywhere anywhere, anytime at every competition. Congratulations. You (Wokorach) scored two tries with colleague Adrian Kasito and Aaron Ofoyrwoth also scoring in a historical win as you beat Kenya and Zimbabwe to go to South Africa. Quickly on the list is Aaron Ofoywroth. He was an integral component on team Uganda as they won the 2022 Africa Men’s Sevens championship at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds. He also helped his club Heathens to clinching the Nile Special rugby title for the season 2022.

The Women

From the women category, Charlotte Mudoola comes in picture. When the Uganda Lady Cranes won the first game of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup against Zambia at the Wankulukuku Stadium with 36-17, Mudoola kicked in five penalties and thrice split the uprights with her conversions to get Uganda across the line. Her efforts though could not help matters when Kenya, in their last group B game on 2nd November beat our girls to miss out on the World rugby ticket. Nonetheless, as an individual player our wish is that an award for Mudoola is very deserving.

The Team

Uganda Qualified for Rugby 7s World Cup booking a place in 2022 season of World Rugby last September 9-11 at the Cape Town Stadium in South Africa. Uganda achieved the feat after beating Kenya 22-12 in Sunday’s semifinal of the Nile Special Sponsored Rugby Africa Sevens at Kyadondo before defeating Zimbabwe.

The Club

In the teams’ category, Jinja Hippos, who are champions of the Nile Special 7s circuit on points will also take some with 128 points. They defeated Plascon Mongers 10-00 in the quarter finals of the Buffaloes 7s and proceeded to the semifinals facing Heathens. They won the semifinal defeating Heathens 12-05 making them finalists of the circuit. On the premier rugby, Heathens, congratulations from this website to you at Kyadondo rugby club.

You received the deserved crown of the 2021/22 Nile Special Rugby Premier League on the final day, you battled former champions Kobs at Legends Grounds in Kampala. That 22-10 beating of Kobs at their own crowded backyard to finish the season unbeaten in the two-round campaign, is worthy celebrating. Meanwhile, are we not, in our own right, right to congratulate Warriors for a deserved relegation from top tier rugby? Wishing you the best for next season action in the lower divisions.

Yes, Walukuba Babarians will also be mentioned for an award. They join the 2023 Nile Special Rugby League as champions from the promotional rugby league. We welcome them into the top tier but also remind them that the higher you go, the tougher you must play.

The Coach

Coach Tolbert Onyango will take the award for being the best coach this season. His 7’s side qualified for the World Cup and the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham courtesy of his good coaching and good leadership. Uganda was returning to the World Cup since 2018 where they finished 19th in San Francisco in USA. Congrats Tolbert.

The Sponsor

2022 rugby season has been a year of unmatched competition and action of rugby, so to say. However, it could not have been close to our hearts and souls, if there was no sponsor in the name of Nile Special. This beverage brand gave us rugby hangover for the many weekends of unmatched rugby action. The shillings 9.8bn sponsorship deal with Uganda rugby has been unmatched thus far.

The Investigator Sports Editor Daniels Tatya

This commitment brought about the Uganda Rugby Cranes 7s success in the Rugby Africa Sevens Cup, the Nile Special premier rugby league, the rugby Nile Special 7’s circuit and more. You take the Sponsor of the year award for being such an unmatched Uganda Rugby supporter.

The Media: Honestly, fair folks, I would not hesitate to give this award to this website, the mighty Investigator, and the affiliate sports writer. Nonetheless, we will leave this category to the Uganda Rugby Union awards team to allocate the same.