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The Stanbic Black Pirates are in action this week, as the only Ugandan club still in the Enterprise Cup, when they face Kenyan side, Nondescript in the semifinals.
With the other semifinal an all Kenyan encounter between Kabras Sugar and the Menengai Oilers, Pirates will host Nondescript at the King’s Park arena in Bweyogerere on Saturday, April 12. In comparison with the kind of opposition Pirates normally face on the domestic front, Nondescript is expected to be a really tough opponent.
But the fact that Pirates beat another Kenyan side, KCB Rugby in the previous round, they should be less fazed by the task ahead. Yet, no Ugandan team has ever won the Enterprise Cup since its inception in 1929.
This begs the question: Would Pirates rather win the Enterprise Cup or retain the Nile Special Premiership? Pirates coach, Marvin Odongo is probably as greedy as they come.
He said: “I want both trophies. I cannot choose. They are both valuable tournaments we have set our focus on winning. They are important for our growth as a team.”
Perhaps the situation Pirates find themselves in, is not a chalk and cheese one, where choosing would be easy. But considering how prestigious the Enterprise Cup is, maybe, it is slightly easier to lean towards it.
Yet, not for coach Odongo. The 33-year old tactician has intermittently said that being a champion at home is what they work towards every day. Besides, he has repeated Pirates desire to dominate at home the same way Kobs and Heathens have over the last fourty years of domestic rugby.
In Odongo’s mind, the fact that the club he holds so dear, having played for it only, before injury forced him into an early retirement, has a lot of catching up to do on Heathens and Kobs, the 16 and 13 time league champions respectively. Pirates have won the league three times since their formation in 1997/98.
However, Odongo reiterated that winning the Enterprise Cup would mean that they are regional champions. That possibility would go a long way in lifting his side’s belief significantly.
He explained: “As a country, we have suffered a lot at the hands of Kenyans. So, beating them in such a competition would boost the mental strength of our players. Even those at Kobs, Buffaloes and Heathens would be galvanized for next year.”
For many rugby commentators,the Enterprise Cup is a big test for Ugandan rugby and how far it is when compared to its main nemesis, Kenya.
Considering that in the previous Rugby Africa Cup tournaments 2024 and 2025; the Elgon Cup, Kenya has had the better of Uganda, there is undoubtedly a lot to learn. Perhaps, those are the lessons that Pirates used in their quarter-final victory over KCB Rugby.
Odongo noted that the performance of his players in that game, particularly with how well they tackled their Kenyan opponents, was instrumental in the victory they secured.
“I believe all my players did well. But just as an example, while the Kenyans had a lot of fine attributes from size and technique, the dog fight in us, something greatly embodied by Conrad Wanyama, for instance, is what got us over the line. I know we should have been more clinical; we could have won by a bigger margin. For the game this weekend, regardless of how tough it will be, once we fight, but also make key decisions promptly and right, we will be in the final in Kenya,” Odongo said.
For what it is worth, Pirates carry the burden of a nation’s expectations on their backs. In fact, Faisal Gamma, Heathens’ veteran player said that the club rivalries have to be put on the side this weekend, and all root for Pirates, as a Ugandan cause.
Maybe Gamma’s submission answers the earlier question on what, of the Enterprise Cup or the domestic league title is more important for Pirates. Because if they beat three Kenyan teams, they will have upset the apple-cut, making the Kenyans view the Ugandan sides more seriously. Pride is at stake here!
