This Saturday’s the fixtures present marking territory playing propensities feeling as teams’ coaches and respective players have set focuses on title

When Pirates Rugby Football Club hosts Heathens Rugby, the slogan is winner takes it all and if either of the sides misses this game, it’s totally on them to blame. A lot is at stake this Saturday when Pirates take on heathens at King’s Park Arena in Bweyogerere.

So every team and every player as instructed by their coaches understand the task at hand for them.

Heathens is in the lead on the table and followed by Pirates, who follow in suite the title and winner could be decides this weekend. 

For Kobs, who is not in a very far distance from the first and third according to the points table have one motivation this weekend, their fantastic captain Brian Odongo is back and ready to rumble hoping to redeem hope for a better season finish.

The state of affairs signals one thing to the fans whichever side they support, that the race could be down to three by end of Saturday games.

The league this season you could see hasn’t been as duopoly as the seasons before. Those who have followed properly the local rugby league trends have been treated to a two horse race from earlier days.

It’s always been largely between Heathens and Kobs until lately when Pirates has been invited to the situational room especially by Kobs missing the zeal they had formally.

The Pirates’ invitational to the performance party spans from 2018, and have steadily given resistance to the giants Kobs and Heathens though their arrival has played a big vantage to Heathens than Kobs.

Tagged the ‘Sea Robbers’ Pirates have since finished third behind Heathens and Kobs who have each, at one time gone unbeaten to clinch the ruggers title.

At King’s Park, Bweyogerere in a top-of-the-table clash game, Pirates hopes to revenge against their first leg tormentors Heathens from that 23-10 loss of 20^th February at Kyadondo grounds. 

This result keep Heathens the only side that is still undefeated while this Saturdays hosts Pirates have just a loss and at the hands of their visitors this weekend.

Kobs the other side is watching and praying Pirates win against Heathens so they keep in the chase.

A win for the Pirates, if Kobs prayer is answered means the hosts (Pirates) will keep in the title fight and largely keep the guess for who will be the champions. A win for the Heathens will mean they are within touching distance for a record sixteenth title.

For Kobs their win against Rhinos, plus a loss for heathens will keep them in good mood as they could catapult both Pirates and Heathens to the summit.

But the hosts welcome back rowers Kelvin Balagadde and Alex Aturinda, who were away on national duty with the Sevens, back to the squad which will put more able bodies on the line for this anticipated physical challenge.

Pirates’ strength, as always, lies in the backline if the forwards can set a platform for them to play in the right territories. Pirates have more options off the boot and under the high ball so I anticipate a back-and-forth kicking game from them to get in those territories.

Makerere Impis are on card with a game of the week to many as they confront Mongers rugby. Makerere will want to turn their fortunes of staying further though the go face to face with a wounded Warriors side that want to get a second win as they avoid relegation.

“We are going hard to get that second win of the season to push us to 8th. And I believe we can and we shall do it on Saturday” 

Warriors are placed 10^th with 8 points on the Nile Special Rugby table. 

Matchday 15 Fixtures

King’s Park, Bweyogerere:

Black Pirates vs Heathens

Legends Rugby Grounds:

Rhinos vs Kobs

Busambaga, Entebbe:

Mongers vs Impis

Kyadondo Rugby Club:

Buffaloes vs Warriors

DamWaters Rugby Club: 

Jinja Hippos vs Rams

All kick-off time is 4pm

Having battled the tough ailment of Leukemia for close to a year, Soggy, on the night of 14th December 2021 breathed his last. On February 28th 1979 he met this world at birth and 42 years later he goes to meet his creator, the Almighty, God on December 14, 2021.

With a long list of 33 trophies, Soggy’s is an illustrious sporting career that spanned for a whole 13 seasons (years) from 1999 to 2012, before he retired playing and chose to joined the rank of a coach, plying his touchline job with the Heathens rugby club. 

Also, as the national team-the rugby Cranes, Toyota Buffaloes rugby club and finally Jinja’s Hippos rugby club coach, Soggy roamed. With all these teams, Robert Sseguya aka Soggy, was at the best of his game and won trophies if not titles for the teams.

He is a sports legend in the country whose love was not only for rugby where he eventually settled and greatly excelled, but also for Athletics, Football and Boxing, and, he wasn’t your ordinary sportsman at all those disciplines.

The country’s sports fraternity could be right to mourn for that reason, but to the rugby fraternity, they must eulogize the life of a legendary to the sport, with no amount of words to fully describe Soggy’s contribution to it.

At the time of his departure, Soggy had been the only rugby living legend having been a former Uganda Rugby Cranes national team captain and head coach. He has been an inspirational figure especially with his heart beating lovingly for the youths whom, many he coached and interested into joining rugby as a sport.

“We appreciate his dedication to the development of rugby as a popular sport and the nurturing of young rugby players,” Reads a tweeter statement by the Kobs rugby club. 

Jinja Hippos Rugby Club: Soggy, you found us at the bottom of the league and built us into a competitive team fighting at the top. Your talent as a coach unrivaled, you gave everything to our club. You will always be a legend. Thank you Soggy, for everything, may your soul forever Rest in Peace.

Impis Rugby Club: Words can’t express how saddened we are to learn of Coach Soggy’s demise. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and colleagues. The entire Uganda Rugby fraternity will miss you, Robert. May your soul Rest in Eternal Peace, Legend.  

Lady Cranes Rugby: 7s assistant coach in 2008 & 2009. In 2008, one of the URU men’s 7s was held alongside the women’s WC qualifiers. We won our semi hence qualifying for the WC. Soggy sat down & cried then asked for kit & jumped on pitch to play (1/2). Played for Uganda in the IRB Sevens circuit in 2001, 2003, 2004. He also coached the Uganda Rugby Cranes XV team. RIP #Coach.

KOBs Rugby Club UG: We are deeply saddened by the demise of Robert Seguya aka Soggy and sincerely commiserate with the family, friends and the entire rugby fraternity. We appreciate his dedication to the development of rugby as a popular sport and the nurturing of young rugby players. 

Heathens Rugby Club: This has hit us by far, words can’t describe the feeling. We’re so saddened and broken by your death coach soggy.  We treasure and celebrate all the moments we shared with you. May the angels receive you!

Mark Ssali: A veteran journalist, Mark Ssali described him as a loveable rugger and legend. “Robert Sseguya, known to us simply as Soggy. A whole generation of Ugandan players and fans fell in love with rugby because of you. Loving. Loveable. Legend. RIP.

Mark’s narrative of Soggy thus drives you to one life’s great thing – The rugger in breathing Soggy was at the best of the game of creating more and more friends, and, he never lost either to enmity.

Throughout his life in the Uganda Rugby, Soggy created no foes. Save for the days’ short-lived opponents during games as a player and then as a coach, that could last for only eighty (80) minutes which the rugby game lasts. Soggy created no enemies to himself, but a lot of time he spent making friends in Uganda, on the continent and the world.

He was selected for Africa Leopards twice in 2007 and 2008 being made captain on the first call. He won the Uganda Cup with Heathens 2010, 2009, 2007, 2005, 2004, 2002, 2001. He played for Uganda in 7s at the Commonwealth Games in 2006 and 2010.

Rugby and the sports fraternity have for that indeed lost an Icon in Sseguya Robert. He has been a living legend, one of the best to have graced the rugby field. He would also play some football, boxing and wasn’t bad either. He was a true sports man and represented his country Uganda well. Rest In Peace, Robert ‘Soggy’ Sseguya. We will miss you!

Uganda had had a brilliant performance on the opening day of the Safari Sevens on Saturday with an unbeaten run in Pool C. They (Uganda Men’s Sevens) capped it off with a 5th-place playoff final victory against Zimbabwe on day two.

The Safari Sevens were played at Nyayo National Stadium from October 30-31 with Uganda Men’s Sevens celebrating a 5th-place finish at Safari Sevens. Captained by Ian Munyani, the team lost contention for the Main Cup trophy after a 19-12 quarterfinal loss against archrivals Kenya Shujaa halting the cup dream.

This relegated Munyani’s led team to the 5/6th place playoff semifinal where they faced Samurai who had had a rather mediocre weekend. They were able to hold off a comeback from the world class talent-laden international outfit to win 17-14 in the tense semifinal.

Aaron Ofoywroth was on top form in the final against Zimbabwe as the Uganda Men signed out in style after an impressive trip to the Nairobi. His brace of tries, and then some more from Kelvin Balagadde, Adrian Kasito and Timothy Kisiga delivered the 29-12 victory.

With such performance, Uganda have suggestively improved from their last outing at the Safari Sevens in 2019 when they lost the Challenge Trophy final. The team that was only assembled with one week to go for the event won five out of six matches played over two days against opposition that included two HSBC Sevens Series core nations and the defending champions.

Up next, with a busy 2022 calendar that includes Commonwealth Games, Rugby Africa Cup and Rugby World Cup Sevens coming up, the performance is a good starting point for the campaign.