The life of a sportsman or woman is always on the edge, because of the thin line between success and failure.

The stakes even make life harder. No sooner had the Rugby Cranes 7s side reflected on their quarter-final defeat to South Africa in the 2024 Olympics qualifiers, held in Monaco last weekend, than they were on a flight to Mauritius for the Africa 7s Rugby Cup.

Rugby Cranes will play six games this weekend between June 29 and 30, before another six games on July 6 and 7 with an aim of winning the Africa Rugby 7s Cup, which they last won in 2022.

But as they lick their wounds, following failure to qualify for a first-ever Olympics, focus will be on making sure that at least, they qualify for next year's HSBC Challenger series.

Being part of the Challenger series this year gave both the women's and men's Rugby Cranes sides invaluable experience. They travelled to Dubai, Montevideo, Poland and Germany, competing against some of the better-ranked teams like South Africa.

"It is crucial that we win all our games in Mauritius because it is a ticket to the big competitions next year," Adrian Kasiito, a Rugby Cranes player, said.

Competing at the Challenger series and beyond is a lucrative venture for the players, which implies that failure to achieve that berth, can also affect their contracts. The money largely hinges on having international games. Uganda finished third in Zimbabwe at last year's Africa Rugby 7s championship.