Black Pearls look to seal title when the host Makerere Ewes.

The 2024 Women’s Nile Special Rugby Premier League reaches its climax today with reigning champions Black Pearls hosting the Makerere Ewes, while the Panthers face off against She Wolves.

This season saw an expansion from four to seven women’s teams, aimed at promoting the sport’s development and providing more game time for the teams.

In related news, Pirates aim for a comeback against Hippos, and KOBs seek revenge on Heathens. Additionally, Uganda’s rugby captain, Nkore, expresses readiness for the HSBC Challenger Series in Munich. The Uganda Rugby Union is also inspecting the progress of Namboole Stadium ahead of the Rugby Africa Cup.

The Black Pearls, based in Bweyogerere, have consistently excelled in recent years, outperforming seasoned teams like the Thunderbirds and Avengers. However, the focus remains on increasing participation across the country.

Black Pearls head coach Helen Buteme emphasizes the need for more efforts to grow women’s rugby. “Fifteen-a-side rugby is not as developed as it should be in Uganda, and teams struggle to maintain a consistent roster. Each year sees significant player turnover, preventing the quality from rising as it should. Nonetheless, teams have managed to bring in new players,” she noted.

“We’ve had many young players trying fifteen-a-side rugby for the first time, and they’ve been impressive. Sharifah Kobusingye joined us late last season and has done well. Zulaika Mukyala, on loan from Njeru RC, has shown great improvement, and Mary Nakato has been an outstanding addition. Rebecca Kabajungu and Lilian Namuddu, who joined us last year, have also excelled,” she added.

Reflecting on her team’s performance, Buteme is pleased with their campaign. “The Black Pearls have been head and shoulders above the rest because we focus on basics, strength and conditioning, and keeping things simple. This approach has helped us outperform other teams,” she said.

“Our goal was to retain the title and remain unbeaten. We aimed to win every game with a bonus point, and we nearly achieved that, but we stumbled against the Thunderbirds in the return leg,” she added.

Winger Emily Lekuru, who leads the league scoring charts with 320 points, will be pivotal in today’s home game, which kicks off at 2 PM.