| The Ghost and the darkness: Victoria/Elgon Cup and Kyadondo Rugby Club | |
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The Ghost and the darkness: Victoria/Elgon Cup and Kyadondo Rugby Club Just when you thought the worst had happened with the loss of the Elgon/Victoria Cup. Priorities were put back in perspective as terrorist bombs rocked the heart of rugby at Kyadondo Rugby Club (in its 10th Year). As I write 74 people and counting are dead including those from the blast at the Ethiopian village. The loss in Nairobi was hard to stomach and a number of opinions have been expressed from sacking the coach (read NV Monday), to chopping and changing the team, looking for a fly half etal. Obviously all understandable considering the pride of every Ugandan had become such that you could bet your house that we couldn’t lose a game at home and that went out the window thankfully without any houses lost. Hope lingered as we went to Nairobi and a decent fan turn out reflected that. The game as many will have seen live or on TV started with intensity and stayed the same way, not too pretty, but the hits were big worth every watch. The Kenyans did their best impression of a Spanish matador letting the Ugandan Bull attack and at the last moment move and stick it to them. The result for all our passion, desire and enterprise all we had to show was a try while the prancing Kenyans without any ball had 3. For a fan I guess what you want is to see the players wear the shirt with pride and also put their bodies on the line with absolute commitment, the same commitment that you have to the team and the cause. When the game ended you could see the boys did not know how to or what to do when they faced their fans considering they had lost and with that reduced Uganda’s interest in the competition to well wishers. The fans at least those that travelled felt the boys had done them proud and had been undone by their mistakes and a very methodical Kenyan side. Even the union officials who are usually hard headed for once felt the pain and accountability they owe the fans which was amusing to see. It was like a man caught cheating with his pants down you cant quite say it was an accident, as to whether the contrition can save you is another matter. Anyways fast forward to Sunday and on the way home, thoughts were, what shall we do, who takes the heat? How do we go to the club on Monday to face those that we left behind that told us the cause was lost in the first game? Of course in between all this was the small matter of a World Cup final also involving a dancing Spaniard and a hacking Dutchman. Those we were with nearly ended up at Kyadondo considering the big screen and Arthur (read Guinness) but we preferred Kampala that on such a day –Sunday- was going to be less crowded by soccer fans. As the game ended it was indeed humbling to know how many calls we each received as people that you did not even know cared were frantically trying to make sure we were ok. As at today no known rugby death can be confirmed, which is very fortunate all factors considered. Some of the players that had returned from the trip were indeed at Kyadondo but preferred to sit upstairs in the members bar and hence survived death by a whisker. However as to whether they are able to get beyond the emotional trauma of seeing bodies and blood strewn all over the place is another matter. The desecration of the club and Uganda as a whole, the loss of dear friends, the pictures of injured people, the tales of the survivors and the unity in sadness all around us makes the loss in Nairobi pale in comparison. Kyadondo remains closed with a ghostly calmness, cars of those probably dead, injured or traumatised remain parked wondering how they got left behind as the security tries to give us answers. The rugby lovers gather at Kampala Rugby Club (hope the terrorists are not reading) every evening joking and wondering whether it will return to normal. At the office the security checks start as you disembark from your taxi, car or boda boda, all on high alert. Will the situation return to normal with all the gloom, death and terrorists looming? I dare say yes!!! The spirit will not die, Ugandans remain strong in their resolve to keep living (I read of a guy who was put in a mortuary for over a day left for dead and walked out), Kampala City and indeed Kyadondo will resurrect from all this for time heals all wounds. For those that “took one for the team” may your souls rest in eternal peace your memories abound plenty. As for the Rugby Cranes may we also rise from our darkest hour and keep going and believing for yo
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Comments
cancellation saved us from embarrassment in Zim &loosing rankings,albeit they should have sent the team for exposure purposes.
The coaching set up is a political sham with no tactical approach shown or used by the team. after 20 min mark mistakes &concentration start falling apart.
for $2000-5000,4a foreign coach mitch ochola/paul odera are options,locally we not short of cheaper options even fred mudoola
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