Late penalty against Kenya Simbas sees Uganda snatch Victoria Cup

The host nation, Uganda Cranes, clinched their first Victoria Cup title since 2010 with a nail-biting one-point victory over arch-rivals Kenya Simbas in the Victoria Cup decider held on November 5, 2023, at King’s Park Arena in Bweyogere.

Kenya’s aspirations for a second Victoria Cup Crown were dashed by a narrow 21-20 defeat at the hands of the Uganda Rugby Cranes.

Uganda concede

The game kicked off with a strong showing from the Simbas as Jone Kubu continued his exceptional performance, expertly navigating the Uganda defense and providing an assist to Joel Inzuga for his second try. Kubu then nailed the conversion, granting Kenya a commanding 12-0 lead.

However, Kenya’s fortunes took a turn for the worse as they began to accumulate errors, including knock-ons, a collapsed scrum, and conceding two penalties.

Uganda’s captain, Ivan Magomu, capitalized on these opportunities by successfully converting the penalties, narrowing the deficit to 12-6.

Conrad Wanyama then ensured that Uganda headed into halftime leading by scoring a converted try, changing the scoreline to 13-12.

Uganda concede early in second half

In the second half, Uganda conceded a penalty that Kubu successfully converted, adding three points to Kenya’s tally.

After an intense struggle, Joseph Oyet cored his first try for Uganda, putting them in the lead following an assist from Magomu.

However, this lead was short-lived as Inzuga swiftly sliced through the Uganda defence to score a try, increasing Kenya’s lead by two points.

Liam Walker, coming off the bench, sealed the deal for Uganda with a crucial penalty, giving them a one-point lead in the 2023 Victoria Cup.