Kampala — THE Rugby Cranes will rue the missed opportunities they had when they faced the Atlas Lions of Morocco last Saturday at Kampala Rugby Club.

Credit to the Lions. they held off onslaught after onslaught as the back line tried to punch through their water-tight defence in the 2007 World Cup qualifier. Very rarely does a team enjoy so much territory and possession, yet fail to convert the dominance into points.

The Ugandan pack executed the game plan well, with the loose-forwards working tirelessly to get to the break-down to secure the ball. So effective were they, they managed to turn over possession only a hand full of times in the tackle/ruck area, with two opposition steals to their credit. The lineout was also very secure; they managed a couple of steals on the oppositions throw.

The Crane's back-line too wasn't very shabby either. They ran very innovative lines, only to be mowed down by a very organised Moroccan defence, time and time again.

So organised was the defence, even when Morocco's Arif Amid was sin-binned, Uganda failed to take the extra man advantage. Alan Musoke came close when he chipped and chased over the defence, only to be denied by a cruel bounce.

So how did the Moroccans, who were on the back-foot for most of the game, manage to win it? Experience carried them through with a 66th minute try.

In one of their rare forays into the Cranes 22, they converted an overlap that had been created by a six-phase forward play, for the only five points they needed to win the game.

An opportunity for Uganda presented itself in the 74th minute when the cranes were awarded a penalty five metres away from the goal line. The Ugandan captain had three options to take - ask for a scrum, take a tap and play on, or ask to kick for goal and attempt to convert the penalty into three points, to into 6-5 lead.

At 5-3 down, with six minutes to play, many captains would have opted to have a crack at goal. The Cranes took a quick tap, and mauled frightening close to the goal line, only for the ever steady Moroccan pack to bring the maul to a grinding halt.

Maybe Peter Magona was hesitant to kick at goal because the main kicker, Robert Seguya, was having a bad day, having only converted one of his previous four attempts. This missed opportunity would have been the most crucial for Uganda's game.

With the result all but history, Cranes have to learn to convert on-field dominance into points.

After the bruising tie, the Lions must have felt like they had truly dodged the bullet.

Uganda, having picked up a crucial point for finishing within seven points of the winners, still have slim hopes of making it to France 2007. They need to beat Ivory Coast away, and hope the Ivorians beat Lions at home, to make it.