The local sevens rugby scene has been awash with several Warm Up 7s tournaments ahead of the National 7s that start on July 25.
So far, the Busiro 7s, Gorilla 7s, Herbert Wafula Memorial 7s, amongst others, have been preparation grounds for teams to test themselves before the main event. These events have mostly attracted development sides as teams try to test their squad depth and check their systems before coming up against stronger competition in the National 7s.
This development has been welcomed with open arms by the chairman of the National 7s organising committee, Desire Derekford Mugumisa, who said that these tournaments give players match minutes under pressure that they can not get from training alone.
“A player learns more about himself in one 14-minute cup final than in three weeks of drills,” he notes.
Mugumisa further notes that the intensity of the new National 7s will require teams to show up for the big stage with the rubber ready to hit the road.
“The format now demands more, from fitness, decision-making under fatigue, and squad depth. Warm-up tourneys are the testing ground for that. A coach sees who can hold shape in the fourth minute of the second half, tired, down a man, still thinking clearly. That is not visible in training,” Mugumisa remarks.
With the National 7s only a few days away, Mugumisa has promised six stops characterised by highly competitive action on the pitch.
“Expect tighter margins between the top sides. The gap that used to separate the established clubs from the rest is closing,” he notes while adding that a visible difference will be evident in the squads that used warm-up tournaments to test their bench strength.
As Club Chairman of Heathens RFC, Mugumisa is glad his side has participated in these warm-up tournaments because it will inform his team where they are thin in squad depth, hence plugging the holes ahead of time. “We would rather find that out in July than in the semifinal,” he notes.