The Uganda Rugby Cranes emerged victorious in the first round of the Africa Rugby Men’s 7s 2024, securing the Cup by defeating Madagascar 31-12. The Cup final took place at the Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mapou, Mauritius.
The first round of the championship was played in Mauritius at Labourdonnais Sports Club from Saturday 29th to Sunday 30th June 2024.
The Rugby Cranes were in Pool B with Burkina Faso, Tunisia, and Cote D’lvoire. Pool A had Kenya, Nigeria, Madagascar, and the host nation Mauritius, and Pool C had Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, and Algeria.
Rugby Cranes topped Pool B beating Cote D’Ivoire 22-17, Tunisia 43-00, and Burkina Faso 29-00.
In the quarter-finals, the Cranes defeated Cote D’Ivoire 15-10 to play South Africa in the semi-finals whom they also beat 12-00 to qualify for the finals against Madagascar
On their way to the final, Uganda had topped Pool B on the opening day. Then they overcame a tricky Côte d’Ivoire in the Cup Quarterfinal by 15-10 points before sweeping South Africa by 12-00 in the Cup Semifinal.
The Cup Final victory means Rugby Cranes tops the rankings table 20 points ahead of Madagascar and South Africa on the podium.
The second round will be played on July 6-7, 2024.
After the two rounds, the top two ranked teams will qualify for the 2025 World Rugby 7s Challenger Series.
Pools for the second round will be drawn later this week.