Barely a week after laying former teammate Sydney Gongodyo to rest, Stanbic Black Pirates put in a shift full of heart and purpose as they edged Heathens 15-3 in the first leg of their 2026 Uganda Rugby Premiership semifinal at Kyadondo on Saturday.
This was their first outing since the tragic death of the Rugby Cranes star, whose absence was deeply felt at Kyadondo throughout the afternoon. Humphrey Tashobya stepped into the back-row role wearing No. 25 after Gongodyo’s No. 7 shirt was retired permanently.
Pirates channelled their grief into a disciplined display that now leaves them firmly in control heading into next weekend’s decisive second leg.
‘We wanted to honour our fallen friend and we did just that and will continue to do it until the season ends,’ Pirates vice-captain Frank Kidega said.
Quick action
Pirates settled quickly, taking the lead through William Nkore’s early penalty before Alex Aturinda broke from the base of a scrum and created space for Erix Mulamula to cross over before halftime. The conversion missed but Pirates carried an 8-0 lead into the break.
Heathens reduced the deficit when Mathew Musasizi kicked a penalty after the restart but Pirates maintained their composure.
Aturinda then reacted sharply to a quickly taken penalty, catching the defence off guard before diving over for the second try, before Nkore converted to stretch the lead to 15-3.
‘We wanted to dominate the forwards but were not so efficient. We expect Heathens to come with fire but we’ll match them and hopefully win it,’ Kidega added. Heathens insist the semifinal remains alive.
‘Both teams were emotional but we congratulate them for the good game but I can assure you we’ll go all out next weekend.’ Heathens’ eighth man David Waako said.
In the other pairing, Buffaloes roared into their first Premiership final after defeating Impis 48-23 over two legs. Having carried a 20-11 advantage into the return fixture, Buffaloes wasted little time asserting themselves as they sealed a 28-12 victory powered by Fatmon Moses.
Yassin Waswa opened the scoring and added the conversion before Impis responded through scrum-half Robert Ssentongo.
Buffaloes regained control through tries from Hector Twinomugisha, Meddie Abdullah and Daniel Otim, with Waswa reliable from the tee throughout, sealing a convincing win and a place in their first-ever Premiership final under the current playoff format.
Attention now turns to next weekend, when Pirates seek to finish the job against Heathens and set up a championship showdown with Buffaloes.
UGANDA RUGBY PREMIERSHIP
Semifinal results
Heathens 3-15 Pirates
Toyota Buffaloes 28-12 Impis