The opening leg of this year’s National Rugby Sevens Championship at the Ruck Yard Sports Ground in Jinja offered fans a fresh experience.
For the first time, Sevens rugby was played under floodlights, creating a unique atmosphere and adding a new dimension to the excitement.
As night fell, the mood shifted from competitive sport to entertainment. Many fans embraced the relaxed evening setting, where rugby blended seamlessly with music, socialising and refreshments in the cool night air.
The combination of high-tempo rugby and a vibrant social atmosphere over the two-day event, held from July 24 to 25, left many supporters hoping the remaining five rounds of the championship will replicate the same experience.
Beyond the atmosphere, however, Sevens rugby has, over the past four years, evolved into one of Uganda’s most unpredictable and entertaining sporting competitions.
Unlike the 15s game, where title contenders are often easy to identify before the season begins, Sevens rugby has consistently produced unexpected champions and dramatic twists.
Last season, Walukuba Barbarians emerged as champions ahead of traditional powerhouses Heathens, Kobs and Pirates—an outcome few had predicted at the start of the campaign.
That unpredictability remains one of the competition’s defining features. For much of the 2025 Sevens Championship, Walukuba Barbarians and Toyota Buffaloes battled neck-and-neck until the penultimate round, when the latter faltered. Even then, Buffaloes’ slip came as a surprise after a remarkably consistent campaign in which they reached at least the semi-finals in four of the seven legs.
Last weekend, Walukuba and Buffaloes renewed their rivalry in another thrilling final, continuing a contest that had become one of the championship’s highlights last season.
On their way to the final, both teams eliminated opponents traditionally regarded as stronger on paper, including Kobs, Pirates and Heathens. Pirates and Heathens were left to contest the third-place playoff, which Pirates won.
The emergence of teams once considered outsiders is a reflection of the growing investment in Sevens rugby. As standards continue to improve across the board, traditional giants are no longer guaranteed success.
“Anyone can lose to anyone in the Uganda 7s now. Even the teams that were considered small teams have levelled the ground and seriously compete,” said Walukuba coach Leonard Lubambula, who is chasing a second consecutive Sevens title.
The era of one-team dominance appears to be over. Kobs won every Sevens title between 2019 and 2021, but that dominance began to fade when Jinja Hippos stunned the competition in 2022. Pirates followed by winning the title in 2023 before Heathens claimed their first championship in a decade.
Walukuba then lifted the trophy in 2025. The question now is whether Toyota Buffaloes can finally complete their rise by winning this year’s title.
Few would bet against them, given the transformation in their mentality and performances across recent rugby competitions. At the opening leg in Jinja, Buffaloes fought back to eliminate Heathens in a sudden-death semi-final before comfortably defeating Pirates 24-0 during the group stage.
The women’s competition has also become increasingly competitive. Nile Rapids claimed the opening leg after defeating defending champions Thunderbirds in the final.
Before that, Black Pearls won the championship in 2023, while Avengers lifted the title in 2024. Such frequent changes in champions are precisely what continue to make Sevens rugby one of Uganda’s most compelling sporting spectacles.
With no clear favourite and every tournament capable of producing a surprise, fans have every reason to remain engaged throughout the championship.