The Observer (Kampala)
Robert Madoi
17 April 2008
Rugby has a knack for oftentimes producing a bad boy - a player that makes the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
But in the midst of the game's well-documented romance with mischief, there is the odd boy-next-door that gives rugby a feel-good factor. Some of such players have had near-successful careers, but many of them have faded away quickly.
The general perception is that to survive in the bloody world of rugby one has to flex their muscle. You don't have to be softy, softy. Yet some of rugby's softy, softy characters have had a stomach for flirting with good tidings. They have also showed that they too can stand the test of longevity.
Tough cookie he may be, but one can be pardoned for casting G4S Pirates' flyhalf Joel Kimuli in the boy-next-door bracket. And it's not just because the Pirates No.10 is pint-sized. Many small-bodied ruggers, à la utl Kobs' Allan Masiko and Pirates' Anthony Kinene, have showed that they need no invitation to grab the lapels of an opponent's jersey whilst on the pitch.
But Kimuli is different. See, he is a Born Again Christian. He is, one of his friends said recently, the only rugby player never to use the F word. "I believe," Kimuli says, "God puts me there (on the rugby pitch) as an example."
And what an example he has been. Just last year, Kimuli was starring for Kings College Budo in the Schools Circuit. Big things were being said of him, and true to form; he captured the fancy of many - including national rugby coach, the South African David Dobela - at last year's U-19 CAR tournament.
So impressed was Dobela by how Kimuli mixed his kicking and running that he invited the youngster to the senior national team that was preparing for the CAR Cup. "Sadly, I didn't travel to Madagascar with the senior national team because I had to do my S6 exams," Kimuli recalls.
Pirates had also seen enough and were convinced that young Kimuli possesses enough ammunition in his repertoire to steer them to the Promised Land. In truth, Kimuli has just about lived up to his huge billing this season.
Going into last weekend's match against MTN Heathens, the youngster had just one chink in his armour. He hadn't scored a try in the league. It was something that was eating up his rugbying conscience.
Well, not anymore. After Kinene's penalty had cancelled out Chris Lubanga's penalty and left Heathens and Pirates locked at 3-3, Kimuli scored his maiden league try off a breakaway Pirates attack deep into second half. "I thank God for enabling me to break that duck," young Kimuli beamed after the match.
Not that Heathens players were beaming. They were understandably livid about the way the game had been officiated. Kimuli's maiden try came against a backdrop of a cocktail of rugbying no-nos - first a knock-on then a forward pass. "The officiation was scandalous," Heathens' scrum-half Faisal Gamma scoffed.
But this didn't tamper with the unbridled joy of Herbert Wafula, Pirates' gaffer. "We expected to win. I'm disappointed that we didn't get a bonus point though."
Pirates, now four points behind table-toppers Kobs, have every reason to believe that the 2008 league title could negotiate its way into their close-to empty trophy cabinet.
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