Senegal delivered a dominant performance to defeat Ivory Coast 28-3 in the first placement semifinal of the Rugby Africa Cup, held at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Uganda.
Both sides entered the clash eager to bounce back after disappointing quarterfinal exits. Ivory Coast had been soundly beaten 41-6 by Algeria at Namboole Stadium, while Senegal suffered a heavy 55-17 defeat at the hands of Namibia.
The match began with high intensity. Ivory Coast took an early lead in just the 2nd minute when Amadou Seku Traore converted a penalty following a Senegalese infringement during a scrum. That gave the West Africans a brief 3-0 advantage.
However, Senegal quickly found their footing. Wilfrid Hounkpatin crossed the try line shortly after, and with Ahmeth Sall adding the extras, Senegal surged ahead 7-3. Building on their momentum, Sall slotted a long-range penalty from the 10-meter line to stretch the lead to 10-3.
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Senegal continued to assert control, and in the 30th minute, a dominant scrum near the try line set up Willy Ndiaye to score another try. Sall remained flawless with the boot, converting to take Senegal into halftime with a commanding 17-3 advantage.
The second half was a showcase of Senegal’s discipline and composure. In the 59th minute, Sall added another penalty to make it 20-3. As the clock wound down, he struck again in the 74th minute to further extend the lead to 23-3.
Senegal Final Try
The final blow came in the 79th minute when Nelson Mendy burst past several Ivory Coast defenders to score a brilliant try, sealing Senegal’s emphatic 28-3 victory.
Senegal will now face Morocco on Sunday July 19th in the 5th-place final after Morocco outmuscled Uganda 24–12, while Ivory Coast will take on Uganda in the 7th-place playoff.
