Rams beat Heathens 12-10 to win Uganda’s Kyadondo National 7s

Rams RFC defeated Heathens 12-10 in the final to win the Kyadondo 7s, completing a tournament run that included victories over Walukuba Barbarians and Black Pirates. The result lifted Rams from ninth to sixth in the National 7s overall standings before the next stop in Gulu.

Rams entered the event after modest results in the opening two rounds, finishing 11th at one stop and sixth at the other. They began the Kyadondo competition with a 24-7 win over Mongers before drawing with Black Pirates later on the opening day.

That draw was secured when Ryan Thierry Jjuuko kicked the ball into touch, earning Rams two points from the match. The team then carried its momentum into the second day by beating Walukuba Barbarians 22-14. Walukuba were the defending National 7s champions.

The semi-final against Black Pirates produced the tournament’s most eye-catching Rams performance. Hosanna Opileni scored early and went on to complete a hat-trick, while Jjuuko added another try after a scrum inside the Pirates’ 22-metre area.

Jjuuko initially appeared to have the option of passing to Hashim Kabogoza, but instead used a dummy switch to break towards the wing. He then repeated the move after drawing Yusuf Semakula into the play, beating two defenders as well as his own teammate before completing the run.

Semakula was later named the Kyadondo 7s’ most valuable player. In the final, he benefited from a bounce following a Jjuuko kick and then produced another key piece of individual play. Heathens responded through two unconverted tries from Lawrence Ssebuliba, but their 12 points fell two short of Rams’ total.