How Uganda Lady Cranes overcame visa heartbreak, missed tour to reach Safari Sevens final
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Reading Time: 3min | Tue. 14.10.25. | 16:33
With international competition off the table, they turned their focus to the 15s game, heading to Madagascar in June for the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup
The Uganda Lady Cranes’ journey to the 2025 Safari Sevens final is a story of resilience and unyielding belief.
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In March, the team was forced to withdraw from the 2025 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger in Kraków, Poland, after the Uganda Rugby Union (URU) cited failure to secure visas on time. That crushing setback could have easily derailed their momentum.
But instead of dwelling on disappointment, coach Charles Onen and his charges chose to rebuild.
The team last featured in the Challenger Series on Sunday, 9 March in South Africa, where they finished seventh in the leg and eighth overall.
With international competition off the table, they turned their focus to the 15s game, heading to Madagascar in June for the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup.
There, the Lady Cranes put up a spirited fight and finished third.
After returning home, the Ugandans took part in the Uganda National 7s Series, which concluded on Sunday, 28 September. The competition sharpened their form and rekindled their chemistry, and the preparation would soon pay off at the Safari 7s.
Over the weekend, the Lady Cranes defied the odds to storm into the final, stunning defending champions Shogun Rugby in a tense semifinal clash.
Though they narrowly lost 14-10 to the Kenya Lionesses in the final, their performance spoke volumes about their fighting spirit and progress. The final was a rematch of the 2023 edition, where Uganda won.
“It is a very good feeling to be in the final again. We were here in 2023 when we won it at RFUEA Grounds. It was a tough game, and we knew it would get tougher.
The girls remembered the pain of falling short last time and came determined to change the story. They believed in themselves and fought for one another; that’s what got us here,” Onen told Mozzart Sport.
Reflecting on the team’s journey from the visa heartbreak to the Safari Sevens final, Onen acknowledged the emotional toll but credited the players for their resilience.
“It was a tough moment for everyone, but when that door closed, another one opened. We shifted our focus to 15s in Madagascar. That was a big positive,” he added.
With the Safari 7s now done and dusted, the Lady Cranes are gearing up for the 2025 Rugby Africa Women’s 7s, set for Friday, 14 to Monday, 17 November at the RFUEA Grounds. The stakes will be high, with only one qualification slot available for the next Challenger Series.
“Now, we are rebuilding and preparing for the Rugby Africa Women’s 7s next month. The Safari 7s has been a perfect build-up, and we’ll give it our all to qualify,” he offered.
We also briefly caught up with captain, Agnes Nakuya, who remained confident that her teammates would rise to the occasion come November.
“We will be here in November, and we are looking forward to qualifying for the Challenger Series. We have been there in 2023 and 2024, and we will go back. It will not be easy, but we will give our best. That is our target,” Nakuya averred.
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