Kenya Cup - Week 7

Thought it didn't but the scores did matter. I got the main one wrong and the order at the top has been shuffled. Quins still lead the standings, followed by KCB. Impala and Nakuru now swap places meaning the semi finals in two weeks will have Quins facing Impala and KCB facing Nakuru. As I had said before what matters is the form for the last two matches and it seems everyone is peaking for this.

Do have a good week and one last chance to vote in our poll on the left. One day I'll give a prize.

Hong Kong Sevens : Kenya out

South Africa 17 Kenya Shujaa 12

Hong Kong IRB Sevens Update: Kenya 12 New Zealand 21

Scored first then lost the plot. Not helped by some strange calls that took us off our rhythm. Our tries by Humphrey Kayange and Lavin Asego.

We now meet South Africa in the plate competition.

Kenya Cup Results 270310

Nakuru 15 Quins 5 Impala 6 KCB 6 Strathmore 17 Machine 14 Mwamba 17 Nondies 16.

Hong Kong Sevens Main Cup Quarters Pairing

Samoa vs USA
Australia vs England
Fiji vs South Africa
Kenya Shujaa vs New Zealand

Go Kenya Go.

Hong Kong IRB 7's Update: Kenya 7 South Africa 21

Not much improvement in our game. Though we were through to the quarters already, we are still not finishing well and not defending well. Now add to that losing most of our ruck ball, we were not really in it. Only try from Humphrey Kayange.

Tomorrow we face New Zealand in the last quarter final of the main cup.

Hong Kong IRB 7's Update: Kenya 24 Zimbabwe 0

Still extremely error prone and not fluid. Had a rough time until Zimbabwe were down to five men. But we'll take it all the same. Tries by Innocent Simiyu, Lavin Asego, Collins Injera and Biko Adema.

Next game, the big one against South Africa at 13:56 EAT.

IRB 7's Hong Kong: The maths begins as Zimbabwe lose 28-15 to Springboks Sevens

The mathematics in the African pool has began as South Africa
beat Zimbabwe 28-15. Shujaa will hope that the try Korea scored
will not come back to haunt them. Zimbabwe will be the next opponent
before an All-Africa supremacy contest with South Africa will
determine who tops the pool and automatically goes through. As
Zimbabwe are learning, the lessons are steep and men are separated
from the boyz very early.

Weekend Games

In the midst of the fast and furious action from Hong Kong, Kenya Cup action continues this weekend. The four teams for the semi finals are already set and the placing also will not change barring some ridiculous scoring. League leaders Kenya Harlequins travel to Nakuru. Runners' up KCB cross town to Ngong Road to face Impala. Mwamba will host Nondies at Railway Club and the universities' derby between Strathmore and Mean Machine takes place at the UON Grounds.

The scores don't really matter, but I see Quins with 8 points over Nakuru, Impala with a score over KCB, Mwamba also with a score over Nondies and I think Machine will win the derby by five points.

Do have a good, rugby-filled weekend. Oh, and please remember to vote in our poll on the left.

Hong Kong IRB 7's Update: Kenya 51 Korea 7

A good start to the day. The lads seem focused and ready for the task at hand. Points will matter for qualification into the next round and this time they seem ready for the business. A bit disturbing was the one try and manner it was scored against us, but maybe it really didn't matter. Tries by Collins Injera, Humphrey Kayange, Brian Nyikuli, Victor Sudi and Sidney Ashioya.

Next match tomorrow against Zimbabwe at 09.26 EAT.

Shujaa Hope to Redeem Themselves in Hong Kong

Kenya Rugby Sevens side, Shujaa, will be hoping to redeem themselves this weekend at the Hong Kong Leg of the IRB Sevens Circuit. As the most experienced team in the circuit, they are under intense pressure to live up to their billing as well as to reproduce some of the form that has seen the be the crowd favorites as well as one of the "must beat" team of the circuit.

As one of the two core sides that is non-professional, they have maintained a remarkable consistency in selection and this must now pay off, or their programmes would have been in vain. With natural attrition due to take its toll on the side soon, as well as pressure to inject new blood in the system, these last three legs will be very interesting.

We only have one game today, against Korea at 13.20 EAT. We wish the lads well.

Clubs reject KRFU accounts at SGM

Last evenings SGM at the RFUEA grounds did not go according to plan as
clubs flexed their muscles and asked that the accounts in totality be
merged and the KRFU be transparent. The Union has Safari Sevens,
Bamburi Series Rugby, Kenya Rugby Ltd accounts which are hidden from
the rugby fraternity. Transparency and Accountability in terms of
finance are not strengths of the KRFU and this is proving a challenge.
The meeting was curiously chaired by vice-chairman Fred Odhiambo who
is not very regular in the administration affairs of KRFU.

Weekly Ramble

Today I will avoid the obvious as I have said most of it before and I really don't feel like going there today. Instead I will keep hope alive and pray that our dreams come true.. soon. Instead I will dwell a bit on the local rugby scene. Events in the past one week have left me wondering what role the media plays in promoting sports?

Specifically in rugby, I know there is a silent war between some clubs and the coverage they receive as opposed to the rest. That one club set the pace in sponsorships, and team naming rights and jersey sales, and the others followed is not the issue here. That is purely chicken and egg. But now that it has come to pass, what role does the media play? I presume the media is supposed to provide fair and balanced coverage of sporting events, but does this extend to giving fair coverage to club's sponsors? Is the advertising a company does linked to the additional mileage it gets from sponsorship coverage? In short is sponsorship another form of gaining free advertising in the traditional media or a way of assisting a team meet its obligations whilst tapping on other non-traditional streams to make impact? Can a sponsor then link his advertising revenue to the presence or absence of a media houses' use of images based on it's sponsorships? Can they then leverage the increase or decrease of sponsorship based on the quantity of appearances in other streams?

And on the other hand can a media house openly support one team or another? I understand the concept of paid advertising, but paying to support is completely alien to me. And that to the detriment of other teams as they may not get as much coverage for their matches! Do other teams then stand a chance of getting crowds to their games or will everyone wondering where to go simply flock to one venue? We hear that a partisan press is bad for development so how does this help the growth of the game? Someone please enlighten me.

Do have a wonderful week.

IRB 7's : Exit Adelaide enter Hong Kong for Kenya Rugby 7's

Shujaa will not be remembering Adelaide in a hurry as this was one
time their stock went down. Unfortunate not unlucky after the pool
stages they found themselves in the bowl and though they reached the
bowl final and lost they generally had a poor performance all round.
Basics were non-existent and tactics were lacking.

The focus in todays analysis shifts from the players to the technical
team. Questions to Ayimba, Ochieng and Osir;
Do you understand what a squad is?
Do you know your strongest team?
Do you have a game plan and alternatives? Do you ever try out
different combinations? Do you know the players individual strengths?
Do you play game by game?
Do you analyse your opponents before you play them?
Do you do the maths in terms of tries needed against weaker teams?

Some of the players in Adelaide must have felt wasted and frustrated
with Dennis Mwanja, Sidney Ashioya and Victor Sudi underutilised when
they could have added more spark. Others like Gibson Kahuthia and
Lavin Asego look jaded and tired.

My starting seven would definitely have Humphrey Kayange, Collins
Injera and Ian Simiyu. The rest I would juggle around. Let's see what
the readers think and they could post their preferable starting seven.

Lastly is the Coach Ayimba in order as he prominently promotes his
personal sponsor H20 in preference of Kenya Airways who are the team
sponsor?

Kenya Rugby 7's my mama and I are behind you. Let's just get it right
and okombe will come. Make us proud in Hong Kong. You are the pride of
Africa.

Go Kenya Go.

B2B starting line-up: Kayange, Sudi, Mwanja, Asego, Simiyu, Injera, Ashioya

Kenya Cup - Week 6

Three out of four not bad, and within the predicted margins also. Only surprise is that Nakuru seem to have fallen off the pace whilst Impala failed to rise to the occasion, their game riddled with errors totally unbecoming of defending champions. The log thus remains the same with Quins still at the top, KCB second and Impala third. Nakuru completes the semi final pairing and barring any shock or ridiculous results next weekend, so the order will remain. In a way that would see the same games played on two successive weekends as Impala meet KCB and Quins meet Nakuru and these should be the same pairings for the semi finals, with a reversal of venues.

Still, makes the semi finals mouth watering and I expect teams to hold back a bit this weekend as they prepare for the final push. Oh, and please take time to vote in our poll on the left.

IRB Adelaide Sevens Wrap

For the first time this season we failed to take any points in the IRB Sevens Circuit. We were a pale shadow of our feared selves, seeming to just go through the motions. Even in the Bowl Competition where we beat Niue Islands 25-7 and Scotland 36-12, we failed to even come off the starting blocks against England in the final and lost 33-12. We however remain in sixth position and are now level with fellow Africans South Africa, who happen to be the defending circuit champions.

This weekend is the Hong Kong Sevens and our nearly all African Pool F with South Africa, Zimbabwe and outsiders Korea mean we have to be at our very best to qualify for the main cup. Let us hope and pray that something happens this week!

Kenya Cup 200310

KCB 27 Nakuru 10
Mean Machine 29 Mwamba 28
Quins 21 Impala 12
Strathmore Leos 28 Nondies 10

Go Machine Go

IRB 7's Adelaide : Ayimba running dry on ideas?

My mama is in tears following Kenya's failure to perform and exit to
the bowl. I had a hard time explaining to her that two wins were just
not enough. What was needed was outrightly 3 wins or 2 very good wins.
Other teams were playing rugby while we were constantly looking for a
needle in the haystack.

Has our coach reached his limit? Do we now desperately need outside
help? Are some players past their peak? Arguably this was a very
strong 13 man squad that travelled to Adelaide. With Dennis Mwanja and
Victor Sudi our options suddenly increased. Horace Otieno is
questionable and Biko Adema should have been in kit. We got it
horribly wrong today and our conservative selection left Shujaa
horribly exposed.

If we win the bowl it will be scant consolation but truth is we need a
breathe of fresh air either technically or playerwise. If not we shall
always remain dreaming of winning an IRB 7's title. Even Hong Kong and
Arabian Gulf have the same dream. Ayimba has been good to the team.
Now he needs to get out of his comfort zone and be a risk taker.
Fortune favours the brave. See you malaters at Railway Club.

Two Right A Wrong

Nothing wrong with my spell check. Just building up from my Weekly Ramble of Thursday. Not usually one to invoke the name of the Almighty, but we now have a God given opportunity to help ourselves. By falling out of the main cup competition, we now have no hope of winning the event. Personally, I don't even think we need any points from the event as we are well on the way to attaining more than we did last year. So what do I mean?

Let us drop five players from the starting lineup immediately and play the bench players fully for the remainder of the event. That will give them the much needed game time, the much needed exposure, allow them to express themselves more, and maybe, just maybe, we may discover something we have been ignoring!

IRB Adelaide Rugby Sevens Update: Kenya 7 Fiji 21

We just seem to be going through the phases. No go forward, no ideas, just seemed happy to be there. Our only try from captain Humphrey Kayange. We now drop to the Bowl Quarter Finals tomorrow.

IRB Adelaide Rugby Sevens Update: Kenya 19 Wales 5

A good controlled performance but questions as to our passing and handling ability. Gave away possession too easily. Collins Injera with two ties Inncocent Simiyu with one. Lavin Asego good with two conversion. Next game Fiji to decide who goes into the quarter finals.

IRB 7's Adelaide : Kenya 7's face world champions Wales in tricky tie

This mornings game was indeed a warmup against Papua New Guinea. We
definitely scored the tries against PNG but some mistakes were evident
in that game. Coach Ayimba gave new kid Dennis Muhanji his first 7's
cap which definitey showed how important the kid is to the team.

Wales the 7's kings present a much more serious challenge to the
current top African 7's team Kenya when they meet. Kenya 7's should be
in good shape to play them but this is a Wales that improved
drastically in recent months.

From mama and me we say Go Kenya Go.

Later I will go watch Mean Machine againest Mwamba.

Weekend Games

Kenya Cup action continues this weekend with the top four still jostling for order. I think I have stated this before, but to me it actually does not matter as it will still boil down to two games that must be your best in order to win the trophy. Many a time it has happened that the fourth placed team win the title!

Anyway, front runners and the only unbeaten side Quins will host Impala at the KRFUEA ground. Second placed KCB host Nakuru at Ruaraka. Mean Machine will travel across the road to Railway club to face Mwamba and Nondies host Strathmore at Jamhuri Park. Quins are in fine form and I see them take this one by 8 points. KCB will recover and beat Nakuru by 8 points. Machine and Mwamba will surely tussle and I see Machine overcome Mwamba by a score. Nondies will also beat Strathmore by 8 points.

Do enjoy your weekend. Please take time to vote in our poll on the left. Results here after the matches.

IRB Adelaide Sevens Update: Kenya 27 Papua New Guinea 7

Good for a first game. We barely broke a sweat. Ayimba seems confident enough to change things round from early on and giving people a run. Two tries each by Innocent Simiyu and Humphrey Kayange and one by Gibson Weru were enough. Though PNG were a bit troublesome, I think we coped well. That's the only game for us for today. Tomorrow we meet Wales and Fiji. Interesting that Wales have beaten Fiji already so it's going to be no holds barred tomorrow.

Weekly Ramble

This weekend sees Shujaa attempt a repeat performance of reaching the finals of the Adelaide leg of the IRB Sevens Circuit and perhaps do one better, take the title. Historically we have fared better in three day events and so expectations are extremely high, as always. Maybe it is impatience, or eagerness to achieve, but the pressure on the players and the technical team from even just themselves is extremely high. And it is close to bursting point. Something must give... and soon! I, like all Kenyans, feel exactly this way, and tournament after tournament of disappointments and near misses does not make this feeling any better. Perhaps the question we should all ask is what next?

Will we then have achieved, and set higher targets for ourselves? Or do we all release a collective sigh of relief and say FINALLY? What does that do to the players as well? Are some players now old and ready to leave the field for younger players.. and all they are waiting for is the highest point in their career to crown that exit? Or will we see a repeat of the Sevens World Cup where the coach felt that was the high point of his career and publicly announced his retirement, only to realise belatedly the opportunities that come with his new found status and deny every saying so! But I digress as usual.

The blooding in of new players was a stated objective for the technical team for several legs and they occasionally took young, untested players on the circuit, in an attempt to introduce them to the intensity of the game. But our own success played against us in that by playing at the highest level of the tournaments, we did not get any easy games and so did not get an opportunity to test them, leaving them as non-drinking tourists for the whole trip! And that in the end led to us using the same players over and over again, leading to what has been called our predictability and eventually our inability to go to the next level. But I digress again.

I don't know what the think tank on Ngong Road is up to, but I believe one simple thing needs to be done. The budget for the 7's team should be expanded to include more than just the IRB circuit. We need to budget to take part in the more satellite tournaments like the Zambia 7's, the Morocco 7's, the Sri Lanka 7's, the Amsterdam 7's, the Benidom 7's and lately the Namibia 7's. All these will be our opportunity to blood these new players if we are afraid of interrupting what we feel is a good rhythm. And any sponsor taking up the National Sevens team must be made aware of this as well. In the absence of this, we must find a way to use all the players we carry on tour.

Best of luck to the team in Adelaide and Hong Kong in these coming weeks.

IRB 7's : Kenya return to go one better in Adelaide

The last time my mama and I watched Kenya 7's in Australia they
reached the final. Losing to South Africa was painful considering
Shujaa had beaten them in the pool stages the day before. This time
they aim to go one better and claim an outright win. Fiji, Wales and
Papua New Guinea are standing in the Shujaa road in the preliminaries.

A look at the team indicates that this could be strongest selected in
recent. Only new kid Dennis Muhanji is unknown but the rest are
battle-hardened warriors. With no Ben Nyambu present Shujaas error
rate will go down and kickoffs we can comfortably compete.

Go Kenya Go.

Kenya Cup Results 130310

B2B beat me!.

Kenya Cup Results

Mean Machine 20 Nondies 24
Nakuru 8 Impala 6
Quins 37 KCB 12
Mwamba 16 Strathmore Leos 5

UGANDA RUGBY COUSINS OF KENYA RUGBY

INTRIGUE IN NATIONAL TEAM COACHING ROLES

Friday, 12 March 2010 16:04

On June Monday 15th June URU secretariat advertised all national team management posts at all levels from U16 to the senior Rugby Cranes for both men and women. What raised most eyebrows were the stiff minimum requirements for the jobs. We reproduce a copy of the job advert below: Uganda Rugby Union Member, International Rugby Board (IRB)Member, Confederation of African Rugby (CAR)Member, Rugby Football Union of East Africa (RFUEA) 5th February, 2010 ADVERTISEMENT FOR NATIONAL TEAMS MANAGEMENT VACANCIES The Uganda Rugby Union is a body mandated to regulate all rugby activities in Uganda under the National Council of Sports Act of 1964. Following the recommendation of the Technical Committee, we would like to invite applications for the following positions for all National Teams: 1. Head Coach2. Assistant Head Coach3. Team Manager4. Team Doctor5. Team Physio The National Teams referred to above are the U16, U19, U20, National 15s and 7s Teams (Men and Women). The minimum requirements for the Head Coach and the Assistant Coach are IRB Level 2 Coaching Certificate and Level 1 for the other positions. Sealed applications should reach the union not later than 5th March, 2010 and addressed to: The Secretary, Uganda Rugby Union, P.O.Box 22108, Kampala. Uganda Rugby Union Secretariat, Lugogo Tennis Club, Lugogo Bypass, P. O. Box 22108, Kampala, UGANDA Tel.: +256 41 259280 / Fax: +256 41 259280 / Email: ugandarugby@utlonline.co.ug The aforementioned un referenced official communication on Union letter head was written on 05.02.10 and distributed by the secretariat email on 15.02.10.It appears the Executive committee endorsed recommendations from the Technical Committee to have mentioned posts advertised after every two years. Interviews are to be conducted this Saturday 13th February but it appears some jobs have already been promised to some individuals while some vacancies have not been applied for. It is good news to see we have now set up a national team structure for U16 with an impending inaugural trip to the prestigious Coca Cola Craven week competition in South Africa. I am a bit skeptical about the U20 structure as it does not make any sense in Uganda's situation especially with few player numbers. Possibly an U23 structure that can switch with a Uganda A team would make more sense to give continued international exposure and game time to former U19 players which in turn will curb rushed capping of inexperienced youngsters at senior level a recent phenomena that has completely destabilised Uganda's Irb world ranking .It appears for now URU TC has finally realized the importance of the systems and structures that produced the CAR 2007 African Champion winning team. Many of those players went through the pre-senior structures before making the Rugby Cranes and that is arguably the greatest Rugby Cranes team to date. Something does not seem to add up in regard to the job advertisement. The minimum requirements cannot be met by 90% of the rugby fraternity in Uganda. URU Technical Committee are aware of these limitations so one wonders what prompted them to set the bar so high with the knowledge these requirements cannot be met by many? Have we as Ugandans become so complex we only believe team management must come from beyond borders? Blundering Foreign Coaches A look at the back ground of foreign coaches the last 2-3 years does not make for good reading. David Dobela a South African seconded by SARU to help Uganda became a laughing stock in East Africa after he twice failed to defend big 1st leg leads in Elgon Cup and was known to tinker with national team selections over a beer with friends at Kampala RUFC. He was in charge when Uganda won CAR but many attribute that cup victory (incredibly won without player allowances) to the high performance training at Loftus Park in South Africa . Dobela failed to command player respect and many felt he was more of a development coach than a shrewd tactician with experience to manage a national side. Chester Williams part 2 was a flop as it was some leap of faith by URU to expect him to do wonders 2-3 weeks before a major RWC qualifier especially with a new team of novices. All it did was actually make Chester look terrible on his second coming with even the players undermining his input as head coach. After the elections a deal was struck as an appreciation for supporting the incumbents in URU; Kenyan Ham Onsando was rewarded as a replacement to Chester Williams .Ham's claim to fame in Uganda was guiding Entebbe Mongers to a respectable 5th position in their maiden season in the top flight league. He was subsequently positioned for bigger things when he was named coach of franchise side Rwenzori that finished 3rd in the inaugural BRSS, that in addition to loyalty and friendship with the newly elected head honchos at URU was enough to guarantee him the national team job. There was also the issue of the non extension of his work contract in Uganda and in effect Ham was unemployed and is rumoured to be still jog hunting to date. Unfortunately he too could not stop Uganda's continued dismal performance in the Elgon Cup even after a decent away showing in Nairobi and Uganda hosting the 2nd leg for the first time.Ham conspired to name a very defensive team at home in Kampala when we were chasing the aggregate score and the game plan was based on defense! What kind of coach chasing an 8 point deficit decides to accord Irb 7's stars too much respect and defend at home in 15's rugby! A consultative visit by 2 SARU technocrats recommended Uganda does not need foreign coaches at the moment but need to build capacity and quality in different categories from physios, local coaches, referees, weight training, strengthening of the different leagues, age grade structures especially the juniors etc I guess the part of 'foreign coaches' was forgotten. Grape vine has it URU is still happy with Ham's services and have already assured him the job of national team head coach on a rolling 4 month contract basis complete with all perks accorded to predecessor Chester Williams. Should be some respite for a man supposed to be job hunting. Now let us look closer at the other job applicants, their qualifications, experience vis a viz the requirements for the job. As earlier mentioned many in the local rugby fraternity do not meet the criteria hence it is assumed if we are going to go foreign then at least let us get it right. Ham's coaching days in Kenya were he was a former national team 7's coach were long gone before he came to work in Uganda. Make no mistake he is well liked and appears to be a very good motivator but his coaching skills are suspect. Mongers progress in the league has been remarkable but they seem to have no defined structure and make very naive mistakes making many question their grasp of the laws of the game. Ham Onsando seems to belong to a past regime which am not sure are ready to handle the dynamism and challenges of the modern game. Kenya has an abundance of coaches and no there is no mention of Ham Onsando as a top coach and neither has he coached a team since he left Uganda.If we are too head hunt in Kenya why not look at people like Mitch Ochola who has transformed the skinny Leos into a competitive outfit, Gordon Anampui , Paul Odera etc Ham has not yet completed his Irb level 2 certificate (a requirement for the job),so one wonders what exactly URU is up to? Are goal posts now going to be shifted contrary to the requirements? Are candidates with Irb level II work in progress now to be considered behind closed doors? Why not mention that in the job advertisement? Can URU not run a straight forward and transparent job interview with bungling it? More questions than answers. As it stands now even before Saturday's purported interviews it appears Ham Onsando has been appointed Head Coach Uganda Rugby Cranes. The other 2 applicants are Herbert 'Herbo' Wafula and Big Sam Ahamya. Long serving coach the amiable Yayiro Kasasa has finally thrown in the towel and will no longer be part of the Rugby Cranes coaching team. Herbo most qualified but likely to be ignored or given a soft landing Herbert Wafula who is a former URU Country Manager is a certified Irb Educator/Trainer, has vast experience both locally and internationally as a coach and administrator. He has coached national team 7's both men and women, Pirates, Impis, Victoria franchise and currently Kobs at club level. He was also a highly decorated player winning the first MVP award, captained Impis, Rugby Cranes and helped mould Pirates into a club that has now broken into the top 4 in the league. He also played for Kobs and Impala in Kenya. His CV is too extensive to list here and on paper he is arguably the best candidate with solid international experience to coach a national side but sometimes what you see is not what you get. Working against Herbo is his myriad of past disciplinary issues that though served maybe used against him. Secondly it appears that Herbo is no longer in the same political camp with his former colleagues who now firmly run URU,URRS,USRA and anything to do with rugby in Uganda. He is in the wrong camp and as such maybe ignored lest he becomes a trouble maker if he does not tow the political line. The fact that Herbo handed in his application even in the face of such odds must have surprised even the interview panel .It is unlikely URU will allow Herbo near the 15 a side senior team, he at best will be given a soft landing some where else. Big Sam blue eyed boy of the powers that be but loathed by players Enter KRUFC Vice Chairman and practicing lawyer Sam Ahamya(Managing partner Ahamya & associates) the blue eyed boy of the head honchos in URU. Big Sam is an accredited Irb level II coach, current assistant coach at Pirates(though seems to be the head coach) and has coached the Men's U19's and women's 15's at national team level. As a player he has a rather dodgy record as he attended the prestigious Namilyango College -kings of high school rugby-but never touched a rugby ball! He was a late learner of the game, ended up playing with university side Impis, Ruga Ruga and eventually Pirates. He was coach when Pirates won their only trophy the 2007 Uganda Cup against Kobs which appears to be the highlight of his coaching career. He did not represent Uganda internationally as player. Big Sam who has been hitherto forwards coach has played his politics correctly, comes from the right club and is very much the blue eyed boy of the current regime. In him they will have a firm grip on what happens in the national team .He is expected to deputise Ham Onsando as Assistant coach. Unfortunately Big Sam has the unenviable record of his coaching skills being despised by most players who have passed through his hands, including his current team at Pirates. Nevertheless one cannot deny the fact that many internationals passed through his hands during his tenure as U19 coach. Unfortunately just like the clueless David Dobela players have no respect for his coaching skills. Can he handle the very hot seat of the Rugby Cranes? I think not , so do many others but it is not for us to decide especially when it appears it has been cast in stone. This in amateur rugby is surely an accident waiting to happen. It may work in South Africa with Jake White but RSA is a fully professional first tier rugby nation. I wonder how a senior national team player feels being coached by someone who was cheering him from the stands in high school ! This will be an interesting selection. CWG's wild card invitation become's Lutakome's poison When the national team 7's coaching post was advertised 2 years ago only Ronnie Lutakome applied. After allot of procrastination he was grudgingly accepted but not after a member of the TC strongly insisted he must be appointed in acting capacity. Ronnie Lutakome is another interesting character who has had his fair share of past disciplinary issues and served his punishments. He featured for the national 15's and 7's teams and was the player coach for the Kobs 7's and 10's squad. He is also among a select few players who have played rugby for over a decade. He is the incumbent 7's coach but with Uganda earning a surprise CWG's 7's wild card invitation it was obvious the swords were going to be drawn with his head on the chopping block. The often ignored game of 7's had been handed to him with a long term goal of RWC qualification in 2012 but he is unfortunately a victim a surprise CWG's invitation. Forgotten is the 2012 target now everyone one is fighting for the big stage of the CWG's in typical fashion common among most sports unions in Africa. That team to the grand and high profile tournament needed to be handled by another close ally of the regime. Also working against Ronnie Lutakome is the fact that he had not yet completed his Irb level II coaching course and I guess he realised it was now a technical checkmate and so he did not re-apply for his job. Infact our sources reveal no one applied for the job. This gives URU a chance to make an executive decision by appointing another loyal disciple, enter former 7's coach and national 15's men's Captain John Byuma Musoke. So John Musoke is a front runner with Herbert Wafula who might be given a soft landing after the disappointment of the 15's side following suit. 20 coaching vacancies vis a viz only 4 qualified locals! Uganda currently has only 4 Irb certified level II coaches;Helen Buteme,Bobby Musinguzi,Sam Ahamya and Henry Musoke.Currently Henry Musoke is in charge of the women's 15 a side together with Bobby Musinguzi,while Sam Ahamya is an assistant with the men's 15 aside. Why URU set those bench marks for 20 vacancies when there are only 4 qualified locals beggars belief! The minimum conditions set cannot be met by most of locals and neither can URU finance foreign personnel (besides dear Ham Onsando of course) so what gives? Any sensible person would probably give a 3-4 year ultimatum to have interested persons accredited from Irb level 1-3 such that at the end of that grace period the TC has a big pool of qualified personnel to make informed appointments. Unfortunately up until this year the invitations for Irb coaching courses have not been well communicated. If memory serves me right every annual rugby Rugby calendar planner from the URU secretariat used to have fixed dates indicating the date and location these course would run but now one is bombarded with group email informing interested persons to turn up for a training course 3 days after receipt of the email. We shall be watching keenly and will return to URU's appointments and hopefully they can explain how they arrived at such decisions considering some glaring inconsistencies are already evident. http://www.ugrugbyfanzone.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=91:intrigue-in-national-team-coaching-roles&catid=38:latestnews&Itemid=86