Uganda’s national U20 rugby 15s side got their first win of the 2022 Barthes Trophy after condemning Ivory Coast to a 26-19 defeat in the first placement semifinal match staged at the Nyayo National Stadium on Wednesday morning.
Coming into the clash, both sides had been knocked out of main cup contention as Uganda lost 54-20 to hosts and defending champions Kenya Chipu while Ivory Coast were hammered 62-0 by Namibia in the other quarter final.
As a result, both sides were looking to get off the mark as they looked to avoid the dreaded last two positions that were at risk of being relegated.
In the match though, it is Uganda who managed to come through despite a spirited second half performance from the Ivorians who threatened to stage a comeback.
By the halftime break, Uganda led 20-0 courtesy of two converted tries and two penalty conversions. In the second half, as if aware of the threat of relegation, Ivory Coast came charging right back as they dotted three tries (two converted, one missed) to rack up nineteen points.
However, Uganda just added two more penalties to their score to finish at 26-19. With the result, Uganda moved to the 5/6th playoff after their first win while Ivory Coast dropped to the danger 7/8th placement final.