Hippos sink Warriors in Jinja

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Uganda Rugby League

Jinja Hippos 41-15 Warriors

Heathens 83-06 Elgon Wolves

KOBs 71-23 Eagles

Mongers 32-40 Rhinos

Buffaloes 12-12 Walukuba Barbarians

Pirates 23-13 Victoria Sharks

Jinja Hippos bolstered their hopes of breaking into the top three with a commanding 41-15 victory over Warriors Rugby Club in Saturday's Uganda Rugby League match at Dam Waters playground.

Building on recent wins against Buffaloes and Victoria Sharks, the possession-driven Jinja side put on a dominant performance. The victory was highlighted by a try from Meddy Bagalana, two tries each from Kenyan imports Paul Ssiringiti, Moses Atim, and Brighton Bakasa, and three precise conversions by dead-ball specialist Yassin Wasswa. This result cements their best start to a season in club history.

The visitors, however, managed three first-half penalties from Hamza Cwinyai.

It was a wonderful display from Hippos despite their poor defending, which saw them concede three set plays—a worrying factor that the coaching staff must address before the club's next crucial league matches.

Despite the win, Hippos coach Edmond Quaresma was left disappointed by his team's lack of discipline after Fahad Maido became the club's fourth player to be cautioned this season.

"We won, but I'm a little disappointed with my team's discipline after Maido's caution. This is our fourth yellow card of the season, and it's too early with just three matches," said Quaresma, who urged his players to remain composed ahead of their next match against their local neighbours, Walukuba Barbarians, next weekend.

"We need to be calmer ahead of next week's derby as we expect high speeds, and we’ve got to be in control of this match because the stakes are high," added the Hippos coach.

His opposite number, Gabriel Aredo of Warriors, lamented his team’s thin squad.

"It was a good test for my squad that has gone through some ups and downs in terms of recruitment. We were surely exposed by a very good Hippos team that uses a lot of energy and speed in every department, but that won't prevent us from pushing on to finish mid-table. We just need to double our efforts to achieve that," said Aredo.

Elsewhere, the big guns continued to show their dominance in the league, with Pirates defeating Victoria Sharks 28-13, KOBs thrashing Eagles 71-23, and Heathens recording the biggest score of the day with an 83-06 victory over Elgon Wolves at Legends.

Another surprise of the day saw Walukuba Barbarians share the spoils in their 12-12 away result against Buffaloes in a match held at Kings Park in Bweyogerere.