Nile Rapids’ table-topping hopes were dashed last Saturday when they lost to the Panthers at Legends Rugby Club.
Up until this point, the Rapids were unbeaten, stunning the Thunderbirds and Black Pearls, then drawing with the Avengers in Entebbe.
Coming into Game Week 6, the Rapids were only 4 points behind the table leaders, the Thunderbirds. They had the golden opportunity to top, had they dispatched the Panthers in a fairly winnable game for the Jinja ladies.
However, the Panthers had other plans and set their sights on securing their first win of the season. They started off the blocks fastest, with flyhalf Aminah Nalujja opening the scoring with a penalty. Tries from Zillah Halimah and Suzan Ndayini, which were both converted by Nalujja, put the game out of reach for the Nile Rapids, who were visibly distraught.
In the second half, the Nile Rapids mounted a comeback, even going ahead in the late stages through a solo effort from Justine Anguchia, but that poor first-half start came back to bite them. In the last play of the game, Nalujja was once again called into action, and she delivered with a penalty that turned out to be the last kick of the game. The game ended 27 – 26 for the Panthers, but the Nile Rapids walked away with a losing bonus point.
Going into the Easter break, all the 7 women’s teams have played 6 games each and that marks the end of the first round. With the second round around the corner, teams will focus on righting their wrongs, reclaiming and accumulating as many points as possible before the league goes into another break for the Lady Cranes 15s to adequately prepare for the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in May this year.
