1
{{item.n}}
Uganda welcome back pioneering Lekuru for Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens
By Joe Harvey
Trailblazing Uganda international Peace Lekuru has returned to the Lady Cranes set-up for the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens.
ADVERTISEMENT
It has already been a mesmeric year for Lekuru, who became the first Ugandan national to sign and play for a Betfred Women’s Super League outfit in York Valkyrie, and will now hope to drive the Lady Cranes in Nairobi, Kenya, this weekend.
A top two finish in the competition can secure Uganda a spot in the 2026 World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger Series.
From almost the first minute she arrived in Yorkshire, Lekuru was a force to be reckoned with for Vallkyrie. A mainstay of the Lady Cranes for some time, she went to England having “made her mark in union” and in the pursuit of a new challenge.
Playing as a back-row and centre in the 13-player format of the game, she made her debut in July and notched a hat-trick against Barrow Raiders a week later.
She was a starter for York all the way through to the semi-finals of the Women’s Super League season.
Her arrival in York came largely thanks to Valkyrie director of rugby, Lindsay Anfield. Involved with the Tag Rugby Trust, she led numerous tours to Uganda and Kenya. She even met a younger Lekuru in that time.
ADVERTISEMENT
It was in 2023 that the prospect of signing the Ugandan first came up after her standout performances in the Ugandan Rugby League.
“Hopefully it’s opening the doors for other girls,” Anfield said in July. “Peace is hopefully the first of many. I think, even five years ago, you wouldn’t get kids saying I want to be a professional rugby player as a female – and now it’s a reality. I feel very privileged to be part of that journey with these girls.”
Lekuru is not the only returnee to Charles Onen’s side either. Samiya Ayikoru, Unity Namulala and Susan Adong all missed October’s Safari 7s in Kenya in which Uganda finished as runners-up.
Lady Cranes Sevens Squad for the 2025 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens
Agnes Nakuya (c), Lydia Namabiro (vc), Yvonne Najjuma, Fazira Namukwaya, Susan Adong, Grace Nabagala, Juliet Nandawula, Sandra Amoli Lona, Samiya Ayikoru, Janat Nandudu, Peace Lekuru, Namulala Unity
Watch the Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens live on RugbyPass TV anywhere in the world
ADVERTISEMENT
