After over a two-year hiatus from the Lady Cranes Sevens team, Emilly Lekuru has made a return to the squad ahead of the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 slated for 12-14 January at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai.
Lady Cranes squad was named on Wednesday in Kampala and Emilly who missed the triumphant Safari 7s campaign in Nairobi in November last year is back to the side.
Mary Gloria Ayot is the other player who wasn’t in the Nairobi event squad to make it to the Challenger Series team. Unity Namulala and Gertrude Kateesa Junior are the two players to miss the cut to the Dubai meet having featured in the Safari 7s.
Emilly who plies her trade with local outfit Black Pearls had last worn national colours during the 2021 Safari 7s at Nyayo National Stadium in Kenya. Her selection for the squad is a testament to her dedication and commitment to the sport, as well as her undeniable talent.
Meanwhile, for the Dubai event, Uganda women’s side are seeded in Pool A alongside Belgium, Thailand and Papua New Guinea.
The Challenger competition provides a clear promotion pathway to reach the pinnacle HSBC SVNS in 2025, with the top four placed men’s and women’s teams from the 2024 Challenger, based on cumulative series points at the conclusion of the third round, securing their opportunity to compete in the new high stakes relegation play-off competition at the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May-2 June, 2024 against the teams ranked ninth to 12th from HSBC SVNS 2024.
Four successful nations from this Grand Final play-off will secure their place in HSBC SVNS 2025, while the other four teams will compete in their regional qualification tournaments to earn the right to compete in the World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2025.
The Challenger tournaments replicate the Olympic Games competition format, with the 12 teams drawn into three pools of four teams each. The top two from each pool as well as the two best third-placed finishers will qualify for the knockout stages with quarter-finals and semi-finals leading to the third place and gold medal matches.
The Sevens Challenger was introduced in February 2020 to boost the development of rugby sevens across the globe and provide a clear promotion pathway to reach the top level of global rugby sevens for the short format of the game which has experienced huge growth over the past two decades since the introduction of the global sevens series and becoming an Olympic sport at the Rio 2016 Games.
The 2024 edition of the Challenger competition kicks off with combined events at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai on 12-14 January, followed by Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo, Uruguay on 8-10 March before standalone women’s and men’s events at Henryk Reyman’s Municipal Stadium in Krakow, Poland and Dantestadion in Munich, Germany respectively on 18-19 May.
Lady Cranes 7s Squad for Dubai 7s
- Peace Lekuru (Avengers) – captain
- Rachel Mufuwa (Black Pearls)
- Maimuna Nassozi (Avengers)
- Mary Gloria Ayot (Thunderbirds)
- Lydia Namabiro (Black Pearls)
- Sarah Kirabo (Avengers)
- Agnes Nakuya (Thunderbirds) – vice-captain
- Sandra Amoli Lona (Thunderbirds)
- Ritta Nadunga (Black Pearls)
- Yvonne Najjuma (Thunderbirds)
- Grace Nabaggala (Kisubi Lady Pacers)
- Emilly Lekuru (Black Pearls)
Technical Team:
Head Coach: Charles Onen
Team Manager: Prossy Nakakande
Physiotherapist: Nelson Mayeku
Dubai pools
Men’s pools:
Pool A: Uruguay, Hong Kong China, Papua New Guinea, Georgia
Pool B: Japan, Tonga, Chile, Portugal
Pool C: Kenya, Germany, Uganda, Mexico
Women’s pools:
Pool A: Belgium, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, Uganda
Pool B: China, Czechia, Mexico, Kenya
Pool C: Poland, Hong Kong China, Paraguay, Argentina
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2024 dates:
Dubai, UAE – 12-14 January (men and women)
Montevideo, Uruguay – 8-10 March (men and women)
Krakow, Poland – 18-19 May (women)
Munich, Germany –18-19 May (men)
