Beautiful but Unlucky: Unhealthy Heathens fall just short at Rujumba 7s

As the Heathens prepared for the quarter-finals at the Arua 7s, winger Joachim Chisano, in an interview with Nile Post, shared his confidence in the ‘Yellow Machines’ winning that circuit and taking the top of the table for the first time in the 2022 National Rugby 7s series.

“For as long as we play our game, we are going to win this one – we just need to stick to our script,” Chisano said.

The now-Ugandan international, however, didn’t share the same excitement about the following Rujumba 7s.

“Personally, I don’t like that King’s Park pitch - it is such a rough pitch, but we shall do our best,” he stated.

Eight days later and with hindsight, the Heathens can be adjudged to have done their absolute best to finish second at the Rujumba 7s, with arch-nemeses and reigning champions of the National Rugby 7s series, KOBs, coming first for the first time this year.

Injuries to Captain Nicholas Kato (popped his shoulder at the Arua 7s), Paul Epillo (concussed and injured at the Entebbe 7s), Cyrus Wathum (knee injury in the Rujumba 7s semi-final vs. Hippos), Patrick Okello (broken finger on Day One of the Rujumba 7s), and Joachim Chisano (injured at the Arua 7s but had to play through the pain), left the Heathens with a massive mountain to climb.

Sources at Kyandondo Rugby Club believe the Heathens should have still managed to bag the Rujumba 7s had they not overworked themselves to overcome the Jinja Hippos in a feisty affair that left them “fatigued and in worsened health.”

The Heathens, coming off an unbeaten 2022 Rugby Premier League season to become Uganda’s most successful rugby club, are looking to extend their dominance of Ugandan rugby by winning the National Rugby 7s Championship this year.

With a break in the 7s circuits this weekend owing to the Rugby World Cup 7s happening in South Africa from Friday, September 9th to Sunday, September 12th, 2022, the Heathens will hope this will be enough time for their players to recover in time to go again in Fort Portal in a one-day tournament to be hosted at Buhinga Stadium.