Walukuba Barbarians defied odds to win the sixth circuit of the Nile Special 7s series played over the weekend at Elgon View Gardens in Tororo. The event dubbed Mileke Border 7s was hosted by Tororo Rugby Club.
To hoist the men’s main cup winners’ trophy, Walukuba beat Stanbic Black Pirates 19-12 in the final. They also become the fourth different team to win a circuit this season after Pirates, Heathens and Kobs.
Against Pirates, Gift Wokorach ran the show for Walukuba touching down once and utilizing two conversions. He was later named circuit MVP after a stellar show throughout the two days. Bob Kawanda and Edward Emiemu also managed a try each for the Jinja based side in the final.
For Pirates, Sydney Gongodyo and Paul Bagota had a try each. Timothy Kisiga converted one try.
Following a good display on day one (group stages), Walukuba were a surprise appearance in the quarter finals and they were seeded against Impis, they beat the Makerere based side 17-12. In the semis, they faced previous circuit winners Heathens and they posted a 14-10 win against the Kyadondo based outfit to storm the finals to excitement of their fans and the neutrals.
However, Pirates have put one hand on the overall title after stretching their lead at the top to now 112 points. Kobs who headed to Tororo as second have dropped to third with 99 points after finishing seventh over the weekend while Heathens who have been third for a while now are now second with 101 points after finishing third at the sixth circuit.
Meanwhile, in the women’s division, Black Pearls beat Avengers 17-21 in the final to stamp their dominance in the competition.
Emily Lekuru touched down twice in the final to help Black Pearls avenge for the previous loss against the same team. She also managed two conversions and was named circuit MVP in the division following a good display throughout the event.
Emmanuela Oroma also managed one try for Black Pearls while Bushera Namutebi also had a conversion to her name.
For Avengers, Cabrin, Christine Akello and Sarah Kirabo all managed a try each. Kirabo also converted one try.
The series will take a one weekend break and the season finale will be held on 2nd and 3rd September in Jinja.
