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When the Victoria Sharks visit the Makerere Impis on Saturday, October 25, at the Makerere Rugby Grounds, it shall be the first time the two sides meet in a 15s rugby game. This fixture is one for the future, a University Derby worth its name, with two competitive sides that have a different approach to the game. The Impis decided to build from the ground up, going back to the schools and recruiting youngsters, while the Sharks, on the other hand, have gone for a blended approach. They recruited players for the future, as well as seasoned campaigners from within and outside the Uganda rugby environment. In Round 1 of the Uganda Cup, the Sharks were on a bye while the Makerere Impis received valuable lectures from the record cup winners, Heathens. “There were some very good pointers that we got from the Heathens game. Looking at set pieces, we managed to see some of the small bits that we had left out in our scrums and lineouts, and I believe we have twitched up a bit on them. It should be much better against the Victoria Sharks,” noted Impis coach Alvin Nkamba. The Impis’ attack and defence left a lot to be desired, conceding 29 points, 19 of which came in the second half, while only scoring 6 points of their own. “In attack, we were not able to comfortably move the ball the way we wanted, which we have also addressed. Our biggest issue in defence was not being able to put the pressure on Heathens, which allowed them to execute their game plan,” added Nkamba. If the Impis let the Sharks execute their plan as they did against Heathens, then they may be in trouble, as alluded to by Coach Kevin Makmot of the Sharks. “We are going to stick to our plan, the same game plan, nothing much is going to change. We shall focus on teamwork and playing as a team, following our game structure. Then also, our senior players will have to lead the team from the front on Saturday,” noted Makmot. The Sharks’ senior players who are expected to stand up against Impis include Willobo Mukili, Saul Kivumbi, Robert Aziku, Alhajji Manano and Davis Kyewalabye, who have featured for the KOBs and the Uganda National team in the years gone by. This artillery is the least of worries for Coach Nkamba, who continues to assess his squad and try out combinations. He notes that Impis is using the Uganda Cup to test his boys against stronger opponents. “Changes have to be made because we have a very big squad, and we have to keep checking our systems. We are in the whole process of trying to see how our players fare against much bigger and more experienced opposition. To see whether they can take on the pressure of such games,” Nkamba explained the changes he made to his squad ahead of their second Uganda Cup fixture.
