Quarterfinal results
Uganda 14 – 26 Germany
Uganda Rugby 7s perfect run of results came to a halt with a 26-14 defeat to Germany in the quarter final of the World Rugby Challenger Series.
The match started off on a sour note for the 7’s Cranes as Adrian Kasito was shown a yellow card early in the game. This meant that Uganda had to play with a man less for the next two minutes.
Germany, who had been dominating the game from the start but with no score on board, took full advantage of this opportunity but still failed to score with the extra man advantage.
The rugby cranes managed to hold the German side from advancing past the white chalk until Adrian Kasito got back on.
To the dismay of the Cranes, Adrian Kasito gathered a second yellow card, amounting to a red card and this only meant the cranes had to play with just six men against seven for the rest of the game.
German would later find their way past a six-man Uganda side to score the first points of the game and take the lead with 5-0.
Despite the setback, Uganda did not let their spirits dampen and continued to fight back.
Their persistent efforts enabled them take the lead just before half time through Aaron Ofoywroth’s converted try.
At the beginning of the second half, the rugby cranes scored a second try through Timothy Kisiga and Uganda looked to be in with a chance of causing an upset in the midst of disaster.
Even with their plausible efforts, the loss of a key player was a huge blow to Uganda as Germany capitalised on their numerical advantage and scored three more tries, effectively sealing the match and the hopes of staging a comeback on Uganda’s side kept diminishing.
Uganda continued to fight till the end, but it was too little, too late. In the end, Germany emerged victorious with a scoreline of 26-14.
The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for Uganda, who had been in scintillating form in the tournament until then. It was a cruel twist of fate that they had to play with a man less for most of the game, and it was evident that they missed the services of Adrian Kasito.
Captain Michael Wokorach said it indeed was a tough day, but despite the loss, the team is still strong and focused on working harder for the following games.
“It was a tough day for us, but our hearts are still in it ” he said.
Despite the defeat, the 7’ rugby cranes will face Chile on game day 3 in the fifth place play offs.
