THE SMACK - NAMILYANGO RIVALRY

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

Posted on August 6, 2018 by Mark Namanya

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