Black Pirates are in the Uganda Rugby Premiership final once again despite suffering a 27-21 loss to Heathens in the second-leg semifinal played at Kings Park on Saturday.
Pirates progressed to the final on aggregate after carrying a 15-3 advantage from the first leg.
Heathens came into the encounter hoping to overturn the deficit and deny Pirates a place in yet another final.
Pirates struck first before the 18th minute when quick ball from a ruck was shifted wide to speedster Roy Kizito, who finished on the outside to hand the visitors a 5-3 lead.
Heathens responded well, slotting three penalties to move ahead 12-5. Timothy Kisiga then kept Pirates in touch with two penalties, reducing the deficit and taking Pirates to 11 points.
Haruna Muhammed crossed over for Pirates’ second try, which Kisiga converted, allowing the visitors to reclaim the lead at 18-12. A penalty at the other end, however, handed Heathens a lifeline and cut the gap to just three points.
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Kizito then capitalized on a fielding error, hacking the ball forward before winning the race to score and stretch Pirates’ advantage to 21-15.
Patrick Okello responded for Heathens before Jude Jjuuko crossed over to seal a 27-21 victory for the hosts. However, the result was not enough to overturn the aggregate deficit as Pirates advanced to the final.
The aggregate victory sees Black Pirates return to the championship match as they continue their pursuit of the title.
