From St Mary’s College Kisubi to first national outing in Burundi: Darren Aine’s rise mirrors Uganda Rugby’s youth pathway.

The Impis winger /fullback has grown through schools rugby, club rugby, and Uganda’s development side, with Burundi 7s marking his first taste of national exposure.

Darren Aine, standing at extreme left with the Emerging Cranes U23 team that participated in the 2026 Burundi Regional 7s.

Darren Aine’s journey from school rugby in St Mary’s College Kisubi to Uganda’s development U23 side in Burundi is a strong example of the pathway Uganda Rugby is trying to build for young talent.

Aine is a 21 year old student at ISBAT University, where he is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Away from his studies, he is making steady progress in rugby as a fullback and winger with a clear desire to keep learning and improving.

He describes himself as a player who is eager to learn and always looking to get better. That mindset has shaped a rugby journey that began at St Mary’s College Kisubi, where he first played Under 15 rugby in Senior Three before the sport was interrupted by COVID-19. He later resumed in Senior Five and continued building from there.

His growth has also been shaped by Impis Rugby Football Club, where he says he has found an environment that has given him the freedom and backing to develop both as a player and as a person. For Uganda Rugby, that kind of progress is exactly what a stronger development pathway is meant to support.

One of the biggest moments in Aine’s career came during the East African Games in Huye in 2023. He says the victory was a blissful experience that confirmed what coach Alvin Nkamba had already been telling him “that he had a future in the sport”. That success gave him even more confidence in his ability to go further.

Aine says his final year performance at St Mary’s College Kisubi also played a major role in pushing him to believe that a national team opportunity was possible. From that point, he set himself the goal of one day wearing the national colours.

That dream came closer to reality when he was selected for Uganda’s development U23 side, an opportunity he describes as a great privilege and a God given blessing. For Aine, it was also a moment to appreciate the support he has received from God, his parents, coaches, and friends throughout the journey.

Representing Uganda in Burundi for the first time was, in his words, fun and exciting. He says it is an experience he would love to have many more times as he continues to grow in the game. The team, including the women’s development side further went ahead to win the competition, marking a great start to their rise.

Aine’s story reflects more than individual progress. It also points to the wider work Uganda Rugby is doing to strengthen its development structures and create a clear route for young players to move from school rugby to club rugby and into representative honors.

That broader picture was also visible around the same time, with another Emerging Cranes group competing at the Busiro 7s under the watch of senior players, while the Burundi group was coached by senior 7s player Isaac Masanganzira. Together, those pathways show a system trying to expose young players to competition, mentorship, and responsibility at different levels of the game.

Looking ahead, Aine says his focus is on equipping himself with the tools he needs to remain an asset to both his club and the national team.

For Uganda Rugby, that is the kind of growth the pathway is intended to produce, turning potential into readiness for the next level.

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