Lady Rugby Cranes secure bronze and qualify for 2025 Challenger Series
Nov 11, 2024
Uganda secured back-to-back bronze medals by defeating Madagascar 17-5, with Grace Nabaggala scoring a try and Grace Auma adding two more, one of which was converted by Mayimuna Nassozi.

Ramazani Kakooza
Journalist @New Vision
Lady Rugby Cranes head coach Charles Onen commended his team for their performance after finishing third in the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens, which concluded on Sunday at the University of Ghana Rugby Ground in Accra, Ghana.
Uganda secured back-to-back bronze medals by defeating Madagascar 17-5, with Grace Nabaggala scoring a try and Grace Auma adding two more, one of which was converted by Mayimuna Nassozi.
Finishing third in Accra guaranteed Uganda’s qualification for the 2025 Challenger Series, a pathway to the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series.
“Despite all the challenges we faced during our travels, I am proud of the girls for their achievements today,” Onen said. “Qualifying for the Challenger Series boosts the sport’s development back home and gives other girls a chance to dream of joining this team,” he added.
Uganda lost to Kenya 19-0 in the semifinal after an impeccable record on day one, beating Côte d’Ivoire 48-0, Senegal 39-0, and Zambia 31-7 in Group C. In the quarterfinal, Uganda edged out Tunisia 17-12, despite losing scrum halves Sandra Lonah and Tina Akello to injuries.
Onen is aware of the challenges ahead before the Challenger Series. “We still have a lot of work to do before next year, and we will not relax,” he stated. Last year, Uganda narrowly missed qualifying for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series final qualification tournament in Madrid.
In Accra, the final was a repeat of last year’s showdown between South Africa and Kenya, with South Africa emerging victorious for the second consecutive time, winning 19-10 against the Kenya Lionesses.
South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda will represent Africa in the World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series next.
The Uganda men’s team, the Rugby Cranes Sevens, also qualified for the same tournament for the fourth time after winning the Africa Sevens in Mauritius earlier this year. With support from the Government and Nile Special, the Uganda Rugby Union has a reason to maintain and boost player contracts.
Rugby Africa Women’s 7s in Accra, Ghana
Group C Results:
Uganda 39-0 Senegal
Uganda 31-7 Zambia
Quarterfinal:
Uganda 17-12 Tunisia
Semifinal:
Uganda 0-19 Kenya
Third Place Playoff:
Uganda 17-5 Madagascar
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