The Uganda U20 rugby team head coach Marshal Tchumcam has his work cut out as his side prepares for the upcoming Rugby Africa Barthes trophy.
The Uganda U20 rugby team head coach Marshal Tchumcam has his work cut out as his side prepares for the upcoming Rugby Africa Barthes trophy.
The U20 categorised competition, which has attracted eight African countries in
Uganda, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Ivory Coast, Namibia, Zambia, Madagascar and Tunisia will see Uganda try to earn a semi-final berth for the first time when they face Kenya in the quarter-finals.
“People hold Kenya in high regard, and rightly so, but we’re confident because we’ve prepared well,” Tchumcam told Pulse Sports in a phone interview.
“We have trained for a longer period compared to last year, where we only trained for two weeks, so life is about grabbing the opportunity when it’s given to you, and we hope to grab it with both hands.”
An experienced team mixed with the reserve league players and top high school prospects make up the 28-man squad.
Tchumcam, a former Uganda rugby Cranes international and current Rhinos Rugby head coach, adds that the team has worked on their attack patterns.
“Last year, we could only defend, and we couldn’t attack, so we have worked on different attack partners.”
“We shall also beat their backline because we have more experienced players from the reserve league and some high school players who I think will help us,” he added.
Uganda finished sixth in 2022, but Tchumcam will be focused on a top-four finish or, at worst, fifth spot, which also seems to be the target the Uganda Rugby Union set for him when he got the job.
The tournament begins on April 22nd at the Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya.
Fixtures
Uganda Vs Kenya
Zimbabwe Vs Ivory Coast
Namibia Vs Zambia
Madagascar Vs Tunisia
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