Dylan Bettencourt
Ngemuva kokunqoba isicoco se-Africa Men’s Rugby Sevens i-Uganda ithole indawo yayo kuma-Commonwealth Games kulo nyaka nemidlalo yama-Sevens eNdebe yoMhlaba.
I-Uganda inqobe i-Zimbabwe kowamanqamu i-Kenya yabekwa endaweni yesithathu kulo mqhudelwano kanti womabili amaqembu angene eNdebeni yoMhlaba ezodlalelwa eNingizimu Afrika ngoMandulo.
Ama-Blitzboks awazange abambe iqhaza emqhudelwaneni webhola lombhoxo wabesilisa base-Afrika ngenxa yokubekwa kwawo emhlabeni wonke okubasizile ukuthi bangena kuma-Commonwealth Games.
Yize i-Uganda iwine ngo 26-0 kowamanqamu futhi ibheke ukuba ngompetha base-Afrika kulo mdlalo umphathi uTolbert Onyango uthe izivivinyo zabo ezinkulu zisazofika.
“Ilapho esizodinga ukudlala kakhulu khona emiqhudelwaneni efana nalena esezingeni eliphezulu,” kusho lo mdlali owake wadlala e-Kenya etshela i-BBC Sport.
“Kodwa phakathi kwale mpelasonto yama-Commonwealth Games ngiyalibona ithemba lokuthi sizobamba iqhaza emqhudelwaneni wokuzilungiselela ngakho-ke kuzoba inselela enkulu.”
U-Onyango wengeze ngokuthi iqembu lakhe lidinga ukudlala eminye imiqhudelwano okungenani emibili ngaphambi kweNdebe yoMhlaba uma lifisa ukuncintisana.
Iqembu lombhoxo lase-Uganda ngabadlali abayitoho. Basebenzela iholo labo lanyanga zonke futhi baziqeqesha ngaphandle kwamahora okusebenza.
“Kuyimvelo yezemidlalo kule ngxenye yomhlaba ukuthi abafana kufanele bahambe bayolanda isinkwa sabo sosuku bese bechitha amahora ambalwa bedlala ibhola lombhoxo,” kusho u-Onyango.
“Sisebenza kanzima sikhuluma nohulumeni kanye nabaxhasi abambalwa ukuze siqinisekise ukuthi singakwazi ukuzifaka ekhempini noma isonto lonke ngaphambi kwama-Commonwealth Games ukuze siqinise abafana.”
Ngaphandle kweNingizimu Afrika i-Kenya isizakhele igama endimeni yebhola lombhoxo okufana ne-Uganda eyenza into efanayo.
“Sifuna ukubalingisa sifuna ukufika ku-World Series futhi siyazi ukuthi kuzoba nzima kakhulu kubafana bethu hhayi nje ngokomzimba kodwa nangokwezimali,” kusho u-Onyango.
Njengamanje i-Uganda ibekwe endaweni yesi-17 kumaqembu angu-21 emdlalweni yama-Sevens futhi ibheke ukudlula i-Kenya esendaweni yeshumi nambili.
Ama-Blitzboks abekwe endaweni yokuqala.
Umthombo wesithombe: @Afriq54