Uganda’s Lady Rugby Cranes Advance to Rugby Afrique Semifinals

Uganda’s national women’s rugby sevens team, the Lady Rugby Cranes Sevens, celebrated a remarkable achievement as they qualified for the semifinals of the Rugby Afrique Women’s Sevens tournament. The team spent Saturday night at the Skanes Serail Hotel in Monastir in high spirits.

Their journey to the semifinals began with a significant victory over the host nation, Tunisia. In an exciting match, Uganda secured a 12-5 win, thanks to Grace Auma’s two conversions and a try.

However, their second game saw Uganda facing a tough challenge against South Africa, which ended in a 19-0 loss. This loss placed the Lady Cranes in a must-win situation, and they delivered when they faced Zimbabwe.

In an impressive performance, Uganda defeated Zimbabwe with a convincing 22-0 victory, securing their place in the semifinals. Key contributors to this win included Grace Auma, captain Peace Lekuru, Lydia Namabiro, and Immaculate Mufuwa, who scored crucial tries. Grace Nabaggala also converted Lydia Namabiro’s try.

Uganda’s second-place finish in Group A, considered a formidable group, put them on a path to the semifinals, with defending champions South Africa topping the group. Regrettably, Zimbabwe and Tunisia did not make it to the next stage of the tournament.

In the upcoming semifinal match, Uganda will face their long-time rivals, Kenya, who emerged as the leaders of Group B, competing for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, South Africa will take on Zambia, who caused an upset by defeating last year’s finalist, Madagascar, with a 17-15 win.