Weekend Games

DataMiner has been indisposed and was not able to follow up on the results of the weekend games.  He should however be up and running tomorrow and the regular posts will return.  A little matter of interest, remember this post from some time back?  Well read this article closely and do some simple maths then ask the questions.  When DM says our focus is all wrong, I believe him wholly.  10,000 pax @ 8 sock a head and.... amazing, not counting the 24 metres!

Weekend Games

After the break for the Safari Sevens, the league resumes in full vigour. The race for the title is now on in earnest. I don't know the official stand, but there should be a relegation race as well, so now everyone is fighting for their lives.

Strathmore will host Kenya Harlequins, Mombasa host Impala, Nakuru host Nondies and Mean Machine are at home to Mwamba. KCB have a rest day. Most teams have now picked up their rhythm. I give Quins their game, Impala will win in Mombasa, though not as easily as they would like, Nakuru will walk over Nondies but the last game could go either way. With the Injera brothers now firing on all cylinders, it tilts in their favour. Results as soon as I have them as usual.

Weekly Ramble

Well, it's come and gone and what remains to be seen is the after effects of the party of the year. I have dwelt on this in the past and will leave the powers that be to prove me wrong, but I sincerely doubt that. Even just the pitch that was in fantastic condition will be left to deteriorate until sometime in April next year when someone will remember that the Safari Sevens is around the corner. I think I have found a new inner me, I am not even going to critique the organisation of the event, just leave it be. Or maybe I'm just on a break..

Focus will now shift to the fifteen-a-side team as they begin the campaign for the CAR Cup and attempt to pull another rabbit out of the hat to reclaim the Elgon Cup. We play Cameroun on the 12th of July at home and Tunisia on the 2nd of August in Tunis. The Elgon Cup return match is on 16th of August.

Without alignment of our leagues with the international season, these games are going to be held smack in the middle of the second half of our league, the crucial time when all points matter. Apparently a club representatives meeting passed that no team will be allowed to postpone any game due to unavailability of players, even on international assignment. I have touched on this briefly before, but I do not agree with this rationale. Why should a team be punished for having players in the national team? A clear case in point, Impala have only lost one game this season. Apparently this happened when the 15's team was in Uganda and the 7's team in England. They had over 7 players missing in total. They played Nakuru who had one player missing! I wonder, does this make sense? That the clubs themselves passed this resolution makes me wonder just which clubs attended the meeting and what their agenda was? And for the union to happily agree to this also makes me wonder if they know what they are doing. An interesting scenario arises here also. When Kenya play at home, there are no league matches on that day, whereas when they play away, the league continues unabated! Again, what is the reasoning?

I think rules are made to level the playing field and leveling does not mean removing whatever advantage, perceived or not, from one team. If a club reps meeting's resolutions are found to be unworkable, the union have the power to overturn them, like they have so many times in the past. This time it seems they may also have an agenda here!

Guest Comments on Safari Sevens

Today I will not do my own comments on the weekend games. Below is a comment from a "Big Fan" and I think in a nutshell he has covered it. Without realising it he has covered most of my past posts and provided a good summary. Thanks for the post and enjoy the reading. My ramble tomorrow.

------------------------------------------------------

The standards of refereeing throughout the tournament cast a poor reflection on the quality rugby played over the weekend. The lack of consistency by referees individually and collectively was too glaring to overlook It was as if all referees were referring to different rugby rules booklets. This coupled with a lack of appreciation of basic rules and/or the spirit in which the same were formulated was quite disappointing.

In spite of all this however, the Kenyan sevens team showed us why they are the most exciting team in world to watch going forward, with their customary fast paced, high tempo, 14 minutes hard running game style.
It was quite a breathtaking and exhilarating display of pure athleticism.

However it was also apparent that we have not worked on our defensive game. Our tackling and cover defense was weak if not absent. Out of the entire team the only players who the opposition found hard to run through were Kayange, Injera and Biko. Their defensive work rate was in overdrive to cover the weak efforts of their teammates. With such a defensive cover Kenya will never win any serious tournament where the teams are well trained in all aspects of the game. Attack, Defense, Racking, Retaining kick offs, Turning over the ball the tackle, releasing on the tackle or on deck, support play, spreading the ball wide and fluidity in passing the ball.

Kenya’s hard fought win over Zimbabwe was testament to the fact that we still have a long way to go. Zimbabwe is not a core team in the IRB sevens circuit and lack the exposure of our boys. But they are always a difficult opponent. Why? They play our kind of game, hard running and fast paced. And why can they soon have the edge over us? Apart from speed they are working on the other aspects of the game, mainly defense. That is why games against them are always low scoring. As for the emerging boks whom every one seem proud to have beat, everyone seems to forget that this was a weak side with no known regular player from any South African provincial side. And if they had run hard at us, who knows how the game could have gone. Thanks to Kayange for single handedly denying them possession by dominating lineout’s and recovery of kick offs, Injera for bruising hard tackling, and Biko for excellent support and cover defense. Without these players the final could have been lost even before the kickoff.

If we are to stick to a hard running game we should also do what it takes to maintain such a style not only for a tournament but an entire season. It demands that ALL players must be at their peaks in physical fitness at all times. There is no room for slouches. Fitness levels that have not been seen before in the country have to be realised. Strength training has worked for the team. Our players have the required strength to hold their own in rack situations. All that’s left is perfection on proper entering of the rack, positioning, and offloading the ball before the rack is destabilized, or turned. We have also been heavily punished for illegal turnovers and contesting of the opponents rack throughout the season. Penalty offences have often turned a came where we were comfortably ahead.



All in all with proper focus, on our weak points (skills/players), we have four exceptional players in Mwanja,Kayange,Simiyu and Injera who should act as a platform from which Kenya should mould a team to win an IRB sevens circuit tournament, or world cup.

Signed Big Fan

Kenya win Safari Sevens

Kenya put up a sterling performance to beat the Emerging Boks 31 12. The local lads who barely put a foot wrong the whole weekend had it rough in the Semi Final against Zimbabwe before letting loose in the last game. Kudos to the lads for that win.

Other winners in the event were Western Province in the schools category, Harlequins in the veterans, Zambia the shield, Japan the bowl and Bristol University the plate.

Upsets Continue on Second Day

The upsets that set the tone of the tournament seem to have continued at the 2008 Safari Sevens. Two teams that caused huge upsets on day one have themselves been tossed out of the tournament unceremoniously. Bristol University upset Fiji yesterday only to bow out to France themselves at the quarter final stage of the main tournament. Samurai SA who had themselves beaten the Emerging Boks have also lost to Zimbabwe. Kenya has continued Fiji's sorry tale by dumping out the world champions at the same stage. The Emerging Boks have barely escaped, beating Tunisia 17-14.

Kenya in Historic Win Over Fiji

Kenya has played a controlled game and dumped Fiji out of the Safari Sevens. The scores were 10-5. This is the first time Kenya have ever beaten Fiji and enhances our status as a star team. We will now meet Zimbabwe in the Semi Finals.

Kenya to Meet Fiji in Quarter Finals

Fiji's loss today to Bristol University saw them take second position in their group and as a result will meet Kenya in the second quarter final match set to kick off at noon sharp tomorrow. Kenya had a flawless day one that saw them dispatch all their opponents with ease.

The other quarter finals see Samurai take on Zimbabwe, Bristol take on France and Tunisia the Emerging Boks. Kenya's 2nd side Shujaa drop to the Bowl competition and will play Tanzania. I wish the boys well in the showdown at mid day.

Second Round According to Plan

There were no upsets in this second round. Kenya continue to march on strong, beating Botswana 33-0. I don't know if it by design, but Kenya's pool looks quite weak. With Zambia having beaten France, it seems like Kenya will not be tested on this first day. This may have repercussions in the Quarter Finals and with the upsets being the order of the day, we may meet one of the seeded teams at this stage. Maybe the draw and methods of seeding need to be re-looked.

Shujaa continue to struggle to find their form and have lost their second match. Western have won the School's competition.

Upsets Already

It is only 12 noon and already there are upsets galore. Fiji have lost to Bristol University, Emerging Boks have lost to Samurai, Japan to Grenoble and Shujaa to Tunisia. Kenya however have started well beating Zambia 43-0. Interesting to note that Bristol had initially complained about being put in too strong a pool with Fiji, Samurai and Uganda. That was undoubtedly the pool of death and had to be changed. More to follow.

Day 1 - Safari Sevens

Day one was dedicated to the schools and the veterans. Coming out top in the Schools are Nairobi Province and Western Province. They will meet in the final on Sunday. For the old farts, perennial rivals Quins and Nondies vets will face off in the final later today. More updates to follow. The Official Safari Sevens website is actually keeping up with the scores as they happen.

Teams Named for Safari Sevens

The two sides, Kenya and Shujaa have been named for this year's Safari Sevens. You can see the squads here. For once the organisers seem to have listened to the management of the teams, a real change. In the past few years, the Safari Sevens event has been held barely a week after the last leg of the IRB Circuit. Apparently (from non-rugby players of course), the idea was to attempt to attract teams that participated in this event to finish off with a trip to Kenya. As good an idea as it sounded (on paper), it emerged that the teams were actually exhausted from two rounds of sevens and thus fatigued and opted out. Our own players were in the same state and not really able to perform at their best, many forced to play with injuries. This year the tournament is an entire two weeks after the last leg. The players have taken an enforced rest period and should be fully fresh and rejuvenated. And the tournament being at home, virtually all the players are available, save for the injured and the few not in the country.

The two sides go to show the wealth of talent that is in the country and the inclusion of several new players can only assist to build the depth that is much needed. And say what you may, this is also a pseudo trial for the World Cup Qualifiers in October. That the players usually save their best performances for home is well known and the electric atmosphere of the RFUEA ground only serves to push the players more.

I wish both sides well as they go into the tournament.

For more information on the Safari Sevens you can visit www.safarisevens.com and www.kenyarfu.com.

Weekly Ramble

Let me get this one out of the way before events catch up with me.
The people who have read my past posts will know my feelings for The Tusker Safari Sevens and what it does or rather does not do for Rugby in Kenya. However, I am also not one to miss a good party and that it certainly is. So before the fever catches me, here goes.
The Safari Sevens was mooted as an idea to develop rugby in the country. It was to help place Kenya on the international map as a great rugby playing nation and as a great rugby playing destination. Whether this has been achieved or not after eleven year of the event is not the subject of my post today, mine is the regression that has occured.
In the early years of the Safari Sevens, it may have been difficult to get good quality or even just enough sides to attend the event. This resulted in several last minute inclusions of teams that were at best weak select sides. It was thus felt that to improve the quality of 7s in the country, a local sevens circuit was to be developed. The ultimate prize for the winner of the circuit was to play in the prestigious Safari Sevens. Many an ageing player suspended their retirement to try and get the chance to do this. This year will be the first year since the inception of the local circuit that the winner is not participating in the tournament. This to me is a major backward step in the development of Kenyan Rugby. What then is the motivation for a club to win the circuit? There is no prize money and with the withdrawal of the automatic ticket, no prize after all. And that takes me back to my pet subject, is this union club friendly or development conscious at all? That the circuit winner can easily beat teams like Rwanda, Tanzania, Seychelles, Botswana, and even Morrocco amongst many others (village teams from the UK) makes it even harder to understand the omission of these teams, but again, do they really care?
Have a fantastic time at the Sevens but keep asking yourself these questions.

I will be providing updates from Russia, the closest place to the action.

Kenya Cup Week Week 9

Well, what a weekend. Two draws, one close one and a no show. Impala keep their top ranking, Nakuru join KCB on second but with an inferior point difference. Quins retain fourth place but are inching up on the top three. Mwamba leap frog over Machine and Strathmore draw level on points. Nondies will also inch up on Mombasa who will drop points for their no show.

Kenya Cup Results

Quins 13 KCB 13, Nondies 5 Strathmore 5, Machine 15 Nakuru 22, Mombasa no show at Mwamba.

Weekend Games

This weekend sees the last games of the first round being played in the Kenya Cup. Top of the billing will be the clash between defending champions KCB and last year's runners up Harlequins. KCB lost their unbeaten run last weekend to Impala and will still be smarting over that loss. Quins come from a morale boosting 73-12 mauling of Nondescripts and will have their tails high in the air. This will make for an interesting clash. I'm not placing any money on this game, let's just wait for the result.

Other matches see Nondies host Strathmore, Mwamba host Mombasa and Machine at home to Nakuru. The closest of these games should be the last at the campus grounds. Impala have a rest day. As usual, results here as soon as I get them.

Weekly Ramble

A few weeks ago, I was talking about the role the Union plays in the development of rugby and their involvement in the clubs. I argued about the top down structure as opposed to the bottom up structure. I of course was more in favor of the bottom up structure.

My belief is that the union should play a major role in developing and strengthening the clubs. They should assist clubs in seeking sponsorship in order to get maximum value of sponsorship opportunities for the sponsoring parties. In the past the union has attempted to do this. They have got sponsorship for the league, but only with an aim to seeing their own (union's) costs covered. Nothing trickles down to the clubs (unless you drunk Guinness in that day). The union also tried to get all clubs to play games at a central venue, akin to the Rugby Super Series. They offered this to a sponsor who was willing to take it up, but once more they only considered their costs. When clubs were called in to endorse the deal (very late in the day), it was overwhelmingly rejected, especially by the self supporting clubs. Some said it was to protect their bar revenues, but had the union consulted the clubs on what it cost them to run their teams (not clubs) for a season and factor this in the sponsorship?

And therein lies my point. We have an aloof union that meets at Nairobi Club and decides for the thousands who play rugby in this country. They are not in direct touch with the players and neglect the people who are, the clubs. That most of the directors have not been involved directly in club management speaks a lot for the decisions they come up with. It is not a moot point that the union needs the clubs, and vice versa. How then can the Union involve itself with rugby from where it matters?

The Union has to be more in touch with the goings on of rugby. They need to hold regular stake holders' forums, not to push down legislature or issue threats or come down heavy on clubs, but to listen to them in in return find out what is happening at the clubs. That union directors celebrate when a club is in trouble instead of seeing how to help just emphasises this point. Only then will the union really know what is happening as opposed to what should be happening. Where is all this coming from? For the union to schedule league matches when international fixtures are on is just creating friction. To assume that players would rather play for their country than their clubs is also creating friction. All this can be avoided with simple communication, and communication is two-way, not one way. And all will be happy and all will be well.

Kenya Cup Week 8

A very eventful week if I may say. I don't know if it is a resurgence, a demise or both as Kenya Harlequins put up a remarkable display to post the largest score this season against no other than Nondescripts. After a whole seven weeks of playing mediocre rugby, Quins 73-12 mauling must send a very serious message to the top three of Impala, KCB and Nakuru. That KCB also fell to their first defeat of the season to Impala now means all teams have lost a match. As expected some players opted out of the Kenya A trip that Tanzania won and this says a lot for our structures in rugby. That you have an option of not playing for your country is really strange. For a recap of weekend matches go here.

All in all, this week see re-alignment take place once more all over the table. Impala swap places with KCB at the top while Nakuru retain their third position. Quins consolidate their hold on fourth and are poised to strike should any of the top three slip up. I am yet to confirm the remaining order but it should now be Mwamba, Strathmore, Machine, Mombasa and Nondies remain lodged firmly at the bottom.

Kenya A Lose in Arusha

The Kenya A side lost 16 15 to Tanzania in an international friendly yesterday. More details as I get them.

Kenya Cup Results

Quins 73 Nondies 12, Kcb 20 impala 32, Machine 15 Strathmore 16, Nakuru 14 Mombasa 0.

Kenya "A" to Arusha

The team is as below. It is refreshing to see so many new names in such a team.

C. Macharia - Impala
J. Macharia - KCB
F. Amiani - KCB
P. Oketch - Mwamba
G ODIPO - QUINS
F. Ngaira - Nakuru
K. Imbuge - Impala
D. Ekasi - Impala ( V Captain)
E. Abere - Mwamba
H. Libasia - KCB
O. Ocholla - Impala
C. Shimenga - Nakuru
B. Omondi - KCB
B. Otieno - KCB
S. Okeyo - Mwamba
S. Mutwiri - Mwamba
P. Wamae - KCB
M. Ndemi - Impala
D GITAU - QUINS
M. Mwole - Impala
V. Mose - Nakuru (Captain)

Weekend Matches

As the league approaches the halfway stage, we have some interesting matches for the weekend. The pick of the day will be the top of he table clash between KCB and Impala at Impala Club. Only two points separate these two teams and as things are, one of them must drop points this weekend. The other matches have Nakuru at home to Mombasa, Mean Machine hosting Strathmore and Nondies hosting Quins. Mwamba have a rest day. Nakuru should easily take their game, Mombasa are not a good traveling side, so despite their recent good performances, this is a long call for them. Machine, Strathmore will be a close call and so should Nondies, Quins. Even in their worst form, somehow Nondies always give Quins a nightmare, especially at Jamhuri Park.

One interesting thing is that with such crucial games going on, there is a Kenya "A" trip to Arusha this same weekend. Impala have 6 players on that squad and KCB 6 as well. Is that balancing or depleting the sides before a crucial game? I see a number of players shying off from traveling for one reason or the other but fully available for their clubs! I will post that Kenya "A" squad shortly.

Weekly Ramble

At the risk of sounding repetitive, ramble I must. I just wonder what is the way forward for this great sport of ours. With the IRB Sevens Series over, and the Safari Sevens to be over in two weeks time, all interest in rugby is about to die off, at least as far as the union is concerned. We will be back to our mediocre leagues, playing our mediocre rugby and satisfied with our mediocre results. Intermittently, the poor brothers of the Sevens Stars, the 15-a-side team will have some fixtures to give us bursts of euphoria, followed by the inevitable down (and we call others junkies!). In the meantime all fund raising and sponsorship proposals will take a back rest, instead just trying to raise more money for the IRB sevens, the 7's World Cup Qualifiers, and the 7's World Cup proper. Is that really why we are in this game? Should there be consensus on such matters (our focus)? What is the Vision of the Union? What are their Values? And pray tell, is there such a thing as a Mission Statement? Kind of reminds me of a certain Government, but let me not go there. Our brothers in Uganda are not interested in "7's Glory", that is not what matters. What is a World Ranking and only select teams are invited to certain events? What are the real World Rankings? where are Uganda ranked in 7's? How do we compare ourselves to them in 7's? Where are we ranked overall in rugby? What then should be our challenge? Brief bursts of stardom and getting our egos stroked for the IRB to prove that indeed, "any country can play rugby". Can we dare take on England in the full game? Or Australia, or France or anybody else for that matter? But we feel on top of the world. Why don't we have any players playing pro-rugby as a result of our "outstanding performances" in sevens? (And please don't tell me there are people in the US playing pro-rugby). And if so, why would a player like Ian Simiyu opt to play 15's instead of 7's rugby given the choice? What ruler should we be measured by?

Forgive me, today I've really rambled on, even no paragraphs!

Melrose Sevens

It was actually the reality so I was not surprised at the outcome. Once more we could only beat Moldova. As far as blooding new players, it must have been quite an experience though complete losses are not usually the best motivators. Some people may need some counseling afterwards, especially if they had not been prepared for what happened.

My take, it was a successful circuit. We proved we have the players to get to the top. What has been exposed is our lack of depth or structures to sustain the top. We cannot consistently perform simply for that reason. I don't know whether it is the clubs to blame or the union, or is it a collective responsibility. I really don't know. But the powers that be have all the resources at their disposal to try and right things. As I mentioned in earlier posts, we cannot reduce national coaches to being development officers and selectors, they have a bigger job to do!

Kenya Cup Week 7

Well the top three continued their march, though Nakuru had a rest day. KCB remain on top, Impala are not alone on second and Nakuru slipped to third. No surprises really in the results. KCB keep piling on massive points and should the title be decided by points difference, they are well on the way there. I still maintain, the middle order will be the teams the top three must remain wary of.