Rugby union in Uganda has been played since colonial times when it was introduced by the British. The governing body is the Uganda Rugby Football Union.

History

Rugby was originally introduced to Uganda by British colonists.

Idi Amin and rugby

A notable fan of all Ugandan sports, Former President Idi Amin was very athletic during his time in the army. At 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) tall, he was the Ugandan light heavyweight

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

champion from 1951 to 1960, and also a swimmer and rugby player. He played rugby initially with the Nile R.F.C. and later for the Kobs R.F.C. in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

. Amin also said in one of his speeches, :"''As you know I am a rugby player. I am second row, so I know how to push. I am very big. You don't want to push against me. And I also play wing three-quarter and I am very fast. I can run one hundred meters in nine point five seconds (applause). If you tackle me, you will try, and you will hurt only yourself. So to everyone who is a boxer, I say this, do what you have to do to knock out your opponent.''" Although on an official evaluation one of his officers once wrote of him: :"''Idi Amin is a splendid type and a good ugbyplayer, but virtually bone from the neck up, and needs things explained in words of one letter.''"Idi Amin
''Scotsman'', 16 August 2003 There is a frequently repeated

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

Cain, Nick & Growden, Greg "Chapter 21: Ten Peculiar Facts about Rugby" in ''Rugby Union for Dummies'' (2nd Edition), p294 (pub: John Wiley and Sons,

Chichester Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...

, England) Cotton, Fran (Ed.) (1984) ''The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records''. Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. that he was selected as a replacement by East Africa for their match against the 1955 British Lions. The story is entirely unfounded, he does not appear on the team photograph or on the official team list and replacements were not allowed in international rugby until 13 years after this event is supposed to have taken place.

2010 Kampala attacks

In July, 2010, Ugandan rugby hit the headlines, when one of two locations hit by terrorist attacks was

Kyadondo Rugby Club Kyadondo Rugby Club is a rugby union ground in Kampala, Uganda. It was built in 2000. Facilities include main ground, a training pitch and a club house. The ground is home to several club teams, among them Heathens RFC, a leading rugby club in Ug ...

Nakawa Nakawa is an area in the city of Kampala, Uganda's capital. It is also the location of the headquarters of Nakawa Division, one of the five administrative divisions of Kampala. Location Nakawa is located on the eastern edge of the city of Kamp ...

, where state-run newspaper '' New Vision'' was hosting a screening of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final.

National team

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa. The country is bordered to the east by Kenya, to the north by South Sudan, to the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, to the south-west by Rwanda, and to the south by Tanzania. The sou ...

have been playing rugby since the late 1950s, playing their first international against Kenya in 1958. They have not yet qualified for the

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

. Uganda plays in red. Originally Uganda, along with Tanzania and Kenya was represented by the

East Africa rugby union team Established in 1950, The East Africa rugby union team is a multi-national rugby union team drawing players from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, though the vast majority of these came from Kenya which has traditionally been the strongest rugby playin ...

. This consisted mostly of white settlers from Kenya, and the games tended to be hosted in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper h ...

. The

British and Irish Lions The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales. The Lions are a test side and most often select players who have already played for their national ...

played games against an East African side, on their 1955 tour, and 1962 tours (losing 50-0).Cotton, p111 Uganda also has a women's team, and a rugby sevens team.

Competitions

The main national competition of Uganda rugby is Nile Special Premier League, currently disputed by 10 teams. They are: * Entebbe Plascon Mongers * Stanbic Black Pirates * Toyota Buffaloes * Makerere Impis * Hima Cement Heathens * Shell Rimula Rhinos * Betway Kobs * 9Barrell Warriors * Jinja Hippos * Rams The second most important competition is the Nile Special Uganda Cup. The current holders are the Kobs who defeated the Heathens 19-9 in the final, which took place at 30 October 2010.

External links

World Rugby Uganda page

Uganda Rugby Union Official Site

Uganda Rugby fanzone

CAR

UGANDA biggest mover on IRB Rankings

Uganda records upset victory over Kenya

References

* Cotton, Fran (Ed.) (1984) ''The Book of Rugby Disasters & Bizarre Records''. Compiled by Chris Rhys. London. Century Publishing. {{Africa in topic, Rugby union in