Many times, Sydney Gongodyo was the driving force behind a Black Pirates attack. The flanker in the No. 7 jersey would lead the charge over the gain line, and moments later the fans would rise in celebration as Pirates crossed for a try before the fly-half added the extras.
On Tuesday, that same jersey was retired.
No player at Stanbic Black Pirates will wear the No. 7 shirt again. The club decided in honour of Gongodyo, the 27-year-old Rugby Cranes forward who was buried on Tuesday at his ancestral home in Buweri Town Council, Budadiri in Sironko District, on Heroes’ Day.
Perhaps, a fitting, if not heartbreaking, coincidence for a man who gave everything for club and country and was laid to rest on the day Uganda honours its heroes.
That day, Pirates formed one final rolling maul. There were no points to score and no try-line to reach this time. Instead, teammates carried Gongodyo’s casket shoulder to shoulder, walking him to his final resting place the way rugby players do everything together.
Then they turned back, alone.
Back for duty
The No. 7 jersey stays behind and memories remain but rugby does not stop.
The Union postponed the Uganda Rugby Premiership semifinal between Pirates and Heathens that was originally scheduled for June 7, to allow players, officials and supporters time to mourn.
That time has now passed and the two sides will finally meet on Saturday afternoon at Kyadondo as Pirates marks the beginning of life without Gongodyo.
The circumstances surrounding his death have shaken the rugby fraternity and country at large, sparking wider conversations about mob justice and public safety.
Those questions will not disappear when the whistle sounds and neither will the grief but rugby has a way of demanding presence. Head coach Marvin Odongo faces a challenge of channeling what his players are carrying into something purposeful rather than paralysing to match the demands of a knockout contest.
‘It is a chance to play for Gongodyo, to celebrate his memory in the way he loved most, and to keep alive the dream he helped build,’ Odong and Pirates will be telling themselves.
Good form
Heathens edged Victoria Sharks 20-18 in a tense quarterfinal second leg to advance 26-18 on aggregate. They will acknowledge the occasion but they will also arrive intent on winning.
Pirates, meanwhile, can draw confidence from their own form after their 48-6 dismantling of Walukuba Barbarians in the quarterfinal first leg showcased the attacking quality and physical dominance that made them title contenders.
In the other semifinal, Makerere Impis will be hoping Lady Luck shows up at Kyadondo on Friday. The side that staged a second-leg coup to eliminate Kobs now face a sterner assignment, needing to overturn a 20-11 deficit against Buffaloes. It is a steep hill, but Impis have shown they do not read the script.
2026 UGANDA RUGBY PREMIERSHIP
SEMIFINAL FIXTURES
Friday – Buffaloes vs Impis – Kyadondo, 4.30pm
Saturday – Heathens vs. Pirates – Kyadondo, 4pm