Why you should watch the 2024 Secondary Schools Rugby Finals
The U-15, U-17, and U-20 Central Region Schools (boys) League Rugby Finals will be played this Sunday at The Graveyard, Makerere and are expected to draw the biggest crowds in Ugandan rugby so far in 2024. The post Why you should watch the 2024 Secondary Schools Rugby Finals appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
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The U-15, U-17, and U-20 Central Region Schools (boys) League Rugby Finals will be played this Sunday at The Graveyard, Makerere.
St Mary’s College Kisubi (SMACK) will take on Kings College Budo in the U-15 and U-17 finals and thereafter, in the U-20 final, will face Namilyango College. The biggest story therein is that it is SMACK’s second successive year in all three finals having lost them all last year.
Central Region Schools (Boys) League Rugby Finals:
- 10 a.m. (U-15): SMACK vs Budo
- 12 p.m. (U-17): SMACK vs Budo
- 2 p.m. (U-20): SMACK vs Namilyango
Date: Sunday, April 7, 2024. Venue: The Graveyard, Makerere.
Discussions about this Schools League Final have engulfed rugby folk around town and are spreading like wildfire to those nearby. (A big round of applause to the Fat Cats Podcast for the incredible build-up content).
If one were to make a bold prediction, these three finals will draw the biggest crowds that have been recorded in Ugandan rugby so far in 2024. And probably the rest of the year too.
Why?
The short answer is: people still have an emotional attachment to their secondary schools. This sense of belonging has grown even more amidst the mushrooming alumni Sunday football leagues. For rugby, the attachment is even stronger because of the significance of the school one attended in the progression of their life in rugby.
The schools league finals is an event for players, active and/or retired, to relive their teenage years by watching the current crop of players.
Additionally, out of merit and bias sometimes, old students from schools like Namilyango, Budo, and SMACK have historically made the most numbers on Uganda’s rugby clubs and national teams. Former classmates of those players always look forward to watching them.
The schools league finals is an opportunity to witness the making of rugby players who will represent the country in the future. Unfortunately, due to the amateur nature of rugby in Uganda and the collapsed age-grade structures, it is also an opportunity to see those who will hung up their boots after school wrap up their careers.
Rugby fans that are not old students of these three institutions should not feel left out. There are reasons why one should also consider spending their Sunday watching the finals.
Schools rugby is entertaining. Unlike at club and test rugby, schoolboys play a raw and free-flowing style that is energetic, relentless and refreshing to watch. Non-playing students who will have got the golden opportunity to travel and support their respective teams belt out rehearsed songs and chants from start to finish. The atmosphere in the stands will be wildly enthusiastic.
Regardless of the results at the end of the day, rugby will be the ultimate winner. You should be there to witness it all.
The post Why you should watch the 2024 Secondary Schools Rugby Finals appeared first on Kawowo Sports.
