Charles Musisi an Old Boy of
Namilyango writes, “The beef .. as they call it is historical .. its a nice
brotherly rivalry though, and from what we have come to know at some point the
brothers of kisubi were asked by the Mill Priests to take over running of
Namilyango College, and this they did for a few years - the other rivalry is
something for that I see arising out things of our own making through sports
academics, inter school relationships (esp. .. girls schools etc ..)”
Musisi further says, “So,
apart from some undisciplined elements on both sides over the years, it is a
brotherly rivalry which quickly goes away after school .. like in our case when
we turn up at campus some of my best friends are SMACK boys who happen to be
plentiful in my engineering class .. and I see so many of such relationships
across the other professions .. so, its one of things like you see among
football supporters for instance .. its mostly for the fun of it ..”
School's Rugby
report
SMACK CRUSHES OUT EARLY AND BITTERLY..... AS OLD FOES HAVE THE LAST
LAUGH.
As observed by one fan who was quoted saying "Namilyango vs St.
Mary's college Kisubi is one of Uganda's greatest sporting rivalries...."
and indeed so, the sourest of competitions on the rugby field and the greatest
of spectacles for a rugby fan.
Sunday was yet another viewing of this historic fixture and this
time round had more at stake than the usual "fumbler -weevil" beef.
In a tightly contested group A, Kololo SS had somehow gotten themselves back
into the mix and with a lifeline as they faced already relegated Light Academy
on the final day. This meant one thing, Namilyango had to travel to eternal
foes SMACK for their group decider knowing winner takes all was the situation
at hand and the loser had to embrace the shame of not qualifying. Of course
there was the alternative of a draw which would still get Ngo through but for
smack it would mean a case of "Ugandan mathematics".
The day started as usual with the U15s and the U17s to whet the fans
appetites, the first being Under 15 where smack brushed off a stubborn
Namilyango resistance edging the later 05-03, perfect start for the hosts on a
rather nervy but exciting day. On to the Under 17s, this turned out to be less
of a contest as the visitors eased four tries past the smackists in a 00-26 win
for the boys from Seeta Mukono.
On came the main event of the day and it should be mentioned that a
sports fan that hasn't beheld the sight of a Namilyango Smack game,
particularly a decider, hasn't seen much in the sporting spheres of Uganda. The
visitors got onto the pitch first and the hosts followed amidst thunderous
cheers and ululations that could scare the weak hearted, the anthems were next
and it was on to the game that every one was waiting for.
Kick off it was and a series of cautious fielding from both sides as
fly halves Kisitu Hillary (Namilyango) and Odoi Arnold (smack) tried to get the
best of territory for their charges to press matters. First blood was drawn in
the 14th minute as Kisitu Hillary gave Ngo the lead with a maturely taken drop
goal, 3-0 to the fumblers it was. Balagadde Kevin, captain of the home team,
rose to the fore leading his boys through a series of mauls and one of which he
and his pack expertly marshalled to force the visitors concede a penalty which
was cooly converted by smack winger Ochaka Francis bringing the game level.
On went the half as each team tried to dictate proceedings and as in
every battle, a certain personality has to spring up and be a hero, in this
case the powerful and speedy Namilyango lock Elipili Emmanuel took charge,
breaking through a couple of tackles to score near the posts giving Hillary
Kisitu an easy conversion thus the visitors leading 10-03. The smack forwards
were asserting themselves and giving their all to get ahead and the hardwork
would soon reflect on the scores as scrum half Michael Matovu exploited a gap
and offloaded to his captain Balagadde Kevin from which the smack warrior
powered his way to the corner scoring a try, surely leading from the fore. The
conversion seemed a little too hard for Ochaka and the teams went into halftime
10-08 in favour of Namilyango.
The second half started as the first with a back and forth tussle
however the smack forwards who have impressed through out the group stage put
in the work yet again and in the 60th minute setting up a ruthless maul from
which Alendro Godwill darted down to score for smack, again Ochaka failing to
find his kicking range nonetheless smack leading 13-10 with the game
approaching its final minutes.
Namilyango has had one problem of crumbling under pressure when it
matters and it was yet to be seen if the coaches had done something to boost
the players mental strength and from the restart, lock Elipili Emmanuel chased
the kick off and bullied the smack flyhalf off the ball before getting tackled,
however winning the Ngonians a penalty in a slightly tricky position. Kisitu
Hillary refusing to go for the line out and opting to kick at goal, a show of
bravery from the young flyhalf and the resulting kick was a few metres short
but the smackists knocked on five metres from their try line, something they
will rue for the rest of their lives.
A scrumdown was called from which another penalty was awarded to
Namilyango for illegal scrummaging by the smackists giving kisitu another
chance to go for poles, this time being in a glorious position which he converted
with ease 13 all it was. The smackists pushed through their impressive pack but
for all the huffing and puffing there was to be no fairytale ending to their
story as Namilyango held on for a draw that got them through and helping them
top the group as Kololo had failed to get the bonus point in the other fixture.
Smack were condemned to a shameful early exit but the show of rugby at Kisubi
was really worth the time and effort for all in attendance.
Semi finals next Saturday at Kyadondo as Kololo meet Kings college
Budo and Namilyango face Makerere college.
Namilyango - SMACK rivalry is born out of mutual respect
for the other
Two
incidents stood out for me this month; one a matter of national interest and
the other a chance meeting of personal importance.
We
will start with the former.
Prominent
Smackist Gen Kale Kayihura was relieved of his duties as Inspector General of
Police and replaced by Okoth Ochola, a former Ngonian.
Right
on cue, the Namilyango College Old Boys Association (NACOBA) twitter account
posted a message laced with humour and judicious satire.
It
read thus:
‘Congratulations to our own Martin Okoth Ochola
(Hanlon, 1974-1979) who has been elevated to the position of Inspector General
of Police replacing long serving weevil General Kale Kayihura’
The 29 words in the tweet went some way in summing up the
relationship between Namilyango College and St Mary’s College Kisubi.
There was recognition, grudging
approbation, celebration and muffled respect.
Namilyango College and St Mary’s
College Kisubi should in many ways act like twins.
They are two of the oldest
academic institutions with both boasting of a combined 228 years of existence.
Namilyango was opened in 1902 with Kisubi being started four years later.
The similarities do not stop
there. The two are catholic-founded schools and have nurtured some of the most
influential Ugandans across generations in nearly every sector.
Yet in many ways, there is
credence to the theory that Namilyango feeds off SMACK and vice versa.
Without one another, they would
be half the giants they are today.
It explains why the NACOBA tweet
found it apt to gloat over the appoint of a Ngonian in place of a ‘weevil’ as
we loved to call Smackists back then in the 90s when I was a student there.
Had the former IGP been an Old
Boy of Nyakasura or Ombachi, either the tweet wouldn’t have mentioned his
former school or the NACOBA handle would have said zilch about the development.
In the eyes of Ngonians, the only
male school that matters for good or otherwise is Kisubi. Not Budo, Ntare or
Mwiri.
Why that is the case is a subject
for another day. But for now, we can be sure the two schools based in Mukono
and Wakiso love to rival the other.
The name ‘weevils’ has stood the
test of time and is not about to be erased in the diction of Ngonians.
The bantering doesn’t end there,
though. Back in the day, our pit latrines were referred to as Smacks.
I found it odd, hilarious and
scruffily creative. It is a term that whose culture won’t diminish.
The mentioning of ‘long serving’
in the post was an inaudible admission that that huge post had been held for
far too long a period by the adversary and now was the appropriate moment for a
Ngonian to steer the wheels of the force.
The second incident that I
alluded to earlier was a meeting with the First Son Maj. Gen. Muhoozi
Kainerugaba, a famous Old Boy of Kisubi.
We met at a function at Serena
where he was the chief guest at a cocktail to see off Uganda’s 69 athletes for
the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia.
Introduced to him by UOC
President William Blick, also a Smackist, I told Muhoozi that I was an Old Boy
of the only school in the country.
“Which one?” he asked.
“Namilyango College,” I responded.
He responded with a wry, wide
grin before observing that, “that one is among the top four or five schools in
the country.”
“Maybe the fifth,” he added.
It was clear that Muhoozi did
rate Namilyango but wasn’t going to betray his Smack DNA by elevating my old
school higher.
Throughout my time there, we were
always keen on how Smack performed at the O and A Levels because we felt we had
a divine right to beating them.
I suspect that feeling was
mutual.
Many schools referred to us as
‘fumblers’ but it is word that Smackists probably copyrighted to use solely for
Ngonians.
There was also the small matter
of rugby rivalry and whenever the two schools played, the grass tended to
suffer.
Namilyango has for a long period
been the dominant rugby school but the sweetest victory was always the one over
Smack. Not Budo or Hana.
The Namilyango-Kisubu rivalry has
spanned decades but purely built on ethos that have made the two schools the
outstanding institutions they are today.
Long may that rivalry continue.
Behind the scenes: Schools
rivalries are a necessary evil
The crowd at Kampala Rugby Football Club was
every sponsor and marketeer’s dream. The numbers that thronged the Namilyango
College versus St. Mary’s College Kisubi schools rugby final were only
comparable to those that watch Heathens versus Kobs. Those rubbers are every
inch nerve-wrecking and it wasn’t any different on Sunday. Not that both
colleges exhibited a special brand of rugby. It was a case of passion and
emotions rather than ability.
The crowd at Kampala Rugby Football Club was
every sponsor and marketeer’s dream. The numbers that thronged the Namilyango
College versus St. Mary’s College Kisubi schools rugby final were only
comparable to those that watch Heathens versus Kobs. Those rubbers are every
inch nerve-wrecking and it wasn’t any different on Sunday. Not that both
colleges exhibited a special brand of rugby. It was a case of passion and
emotions rather than ability.
A full house comprising students and alumni of
the two colleges risked running their voices hoarse with each kick, extra yard
gained, catch, tackle and try cheered in equal measure. Jet-heeled Polycarp
Okot and Ivan Magomu settled the tie 10-0 as Namilyango wrapped up a day’s
treble after earlier successes in the under 14 and under 16s categories.
Namilyango’s eighth title is something the students will brag about for as long
as they live.
But that is being parochial. With the fortunes
of the Rugby Cranes dwindling with each passing Test, Uganda Rugby Union (URU)
look like they clearly know where to unearth tomorrow’s stars. It was such
rivalries, at their peak in the 80s and 90s,that won former inspirational
captain Peter Magona (Smack) and multi-faceted Robert Seguya national caps as
teenagers. URU are looking to, once again, catch them young in a bid to keep
the masses interested. Despite the recent hard times for Cranes, URU still
boast of one of the most passionate crowds comprising of people from all walks
of life. Good thing URU are not taking the fans for granted as they have given
unwavering attention to the schools development programme.
Talking to Alex Mubiru, Heathens captain, at
Legends Sports Bar, he was worried whether URU have structures to keep the
school boys interested after their time in college. Campus is a proven
distraction for many budding sportsmen and how URU indulge them will be vital.
Any Kibuli-Kololo football match was a sell- out as well as a 25-over cricket
clash between Busoga College Mwiri and King’s College Budo. Such were must-
attend meets for club scouts and national team selectors. Today, they are forgotten
events on the calendar and yet they could make a difference for the falling
standards of sport in Uganda.
indawula@ug.nationmedia.com
