The Uganda Lady Rugby Cranes 15s have officially been flagged off for Ivory Coast to compete in the Rugby Africa Women’s Division I tournament. The second tier of the women’s continental showpiece shall officially start on the 9th of April, 2025, with Uganda facing Tunisia on Friday, 11th April. The 28-player squad, which shall be captained by Thunderbirds back row Angella Nanyonjo, boasts five Under 20 players and 12 current and former Lady Rugby Cranes 7s internationals. Peace Nemira, who led the Baby Rugby Cranes on the tour to South Africa in 2024 is joined by fellow youngsters, Bushira Namutebi, Proscovia Mukyaala, Phoebe Nakalembe and Phiona Nantongo. Another leader in Peace Lekuru also joins from the Rugby 7s set up where she is captain. She brings along a wealth of experience to the 15s set up, where she’ll be deployed in the midfield, together with other backline players like Grace Auma, Mufuwa Racheal, Janat Nandudu and Mastula Nambozo, among others. Why are these inclusions key? The Lady Cranes shall be playing international 15s rugby for the first time since November 2023. The good news is, they kick off the tournament with a familiar foe in Tunisia, but the bad news is, they’ve only had a month to prepare. That is where the fit and fresh legs come in. Coach Charles Onen has clearly asserted that Uganda is going to prioritize a running game since Tunisia, Zimbabwe, and Ivory Coast have bigger forwards. “We can’t be going so physical against the other teams because they seem to be big girls. For us, it’s all about dwelling more on how strong our set pieces can be so that it gives us a very good attacking base to play a running game that can suit the majority of the players we have,” he noted. Looking forward, the Under-20 girls have gained invaluable experience from being part of the training squad, and now they’ll have the opportunity to learn even more when they play with and against more seasoned campaigners. “We [U20 girls] have gained more discipline from our seniors and for the coaches, they’ve boosted our confidence. The coaches have invested in us all their effort and time, and we are going to try and do our best not to disappoint them,” said Under-20 captain, Peace Nemira, who is part of the squad. Uganda Lady Cranes XVs Fixtures: (as per URU) April 11, 2025: Uganda vs Tunisia – 5:00 PM, EAT April 15, 2025: Ivory Coast vs Uganda – 7:00 PM, EAT April 19, 2025: Zimbabwe vs Uganda – 3:00 PM, EAT