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The bonus-point victory moved Heathens to 59 points, while Kobs, with the losing bonus points, only moved from 55 points to 56.
Week 13 of the Nile Special Rugby Premier League ended with changes to the table, most significantly at the top.
Platinum Credit Heathens entered the weekend second on the log but went top after Saturday’s bonus-point win over rivals Kobs at Kyadondo Rugby Grounds.
The clash between the two giants was seen by many as the title decider and could turn out to be precisely that.
Kobs’ time at the top of the log came to an end dramatically, with referee Ronald Wutimber awarding Heathens a penalty try at the death to untie the two sides.
The scores were tied at 12-12, and Kobs had dominated proceedings on the day, camping in the Heathens’ half for the better part of the game.
Joseph Aredo scored four penalties on the day, while Innocent Gwokto and Trevor Ochan crossed the white line for the home side. Chris Lubanga added one conversion as Heathens.
Heathens played on the back foot for most of the game but were incredibly efficient on the counterattack.
The game descended into chaos when the referee awarded Heathens a penalty on the last play of the game.
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10:17 - 04.04.2023
RUGBY Kobs want Heathens game replayed with competent referee in charge
It is not the first time Kobs are complaining about referees, and Luggya says they have engaged the Uganda Rugby Union about the same official in the past.
Kobs players disagreed with the decision and protested by refusing to retreat to allow Heathens to take the penalty, and after lengthy deliberations, the referee awarded Heathens a penalty try.
The bonus-point victory moved Heathens to 59 points, while Kobs, with the losing bonus points, only moved from 55 points to 56.
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Brian Makalama’s side now find themselves three points off the pace in the title race with five games left in the season.
Pirates miss out on second spot
With the top two sides clashing, the Pirates were the team expected to gain more from the weekend.
Games between Heathens and Kobs are always expected to be tightly contested, with no side taking a bonus-point win.
But that penalty try delivered more than just a win. It came with a bonus point that might play a massive role at the end of the season.
Pirates defeated Jinja Hippos 27-22 at the King’s Park Arena and missed out on picking a bonus point.
While that moved them level on points with Kobs, it was not enough for Marvin Odongo’s side to move from third to second.
Rams in trouble
The relegation Monster is now staring Rams right in the face. This is after losing 08-06 to Rhinos in a relegation six-pointer at Legends Rugby Grounds.
Rhinos is the closest team to Rams at the bottom of the log, and the winner of that tie was always going to gain some breathing space.
Rhinos moved to 13 points, now five ahead of Rams.
With only five games left, time is running out for the Rams, and a first win of the season will have to come sooner rather than later for them to survive the knife.
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