Saturday, August 30, 2008
Kenya Cup Result
Sorry guys only one result for now. Quins 29 KCB 17 to snatch the cup. Other results when I get them.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Weekly Ramble
Finally KRFU have come to their senses and are thinking of re-organising the season to fit in with the World Wide Structured Season. Any sane person would have realised that this is imperative for the effective functioning of the National fifteen a side rugby team, but with lack of interest in this "game", nothing has been done towards it over the years. Attempting to pit clubs against the union has proved more disastrous for the union and they are now seeking ways to find a way out of the losing situation they found themselves in. Too little too late I'd say, but there is no time like the present anyway. Carpe diem I say. Being an advocate for strong clubs, today I am going to abandon them in my ramble.
With the proposed fixtures having been circulated to the clubs, partisan interests are already beginning to emerge. I've seen some correspondence from some club officials urging all to attend the meeting in order to "defend their positions". Of interest to the clubs will be timing of specific tournaments and events hosted by the clubs themselves. On this one I have no sympathy with them. They should declare the tournaments they want to host with their preferred timings and wait for the union to allocate them. After banging on the director in charge of fixtures for not being assertive enough, this is clearly one opportunity for him to stamp his authority. That Mombasa no longer host the driftwood sevens at their preferred mid season time since it is a major fund raising event for them should be a precedent to note. Mombasa have gone ahead and host their own off-calendar event at that same time to meet their shortfalls, and I believe this is the path to take. Of key interest is the Impala Floodlit Tournament, slated for it's "traditional" time of January/February, whilst it has always been touted as the "traditional pre-season event". It makes no logical sense to start a tournament, after a break, interrupting an already running one, and for a period of four weeks at that. The other poorly slated tournament is the Rugby Super Series. From the sponsor's perspective, having the Safari Sevens bang in the middle of the Super Series will remove the thunder from one (or the other) event and this needs to be re-looked. Lastly, the Worldwide Structured season is to help with players preparation, player fitness, player peaking and player rest. I don't know if the senior coaches and conditioning experts have been consulted in the drawing up this new season plan.
With the proposed fixtures having been circulated to the clubs, partisan interests are already beginning to emerge. I've seen some correspondence from some club officials urging all to attend the meeting in order to "defend their positions". Of interest to the clubs will be timing of specific tournaments and events hosted by the clubs themselves. On this one I have no sympathy with them. They should declare the tournaments they want to host with their preferred timings and wait for the union to allocate them. After banging on the director in charge of fixtures for not being assertive enough, this is clearly one opportunity for him to stamp his authority. That Mombasa no longer host the driftwood sevens at their preferred mid season time since it is a major fund raising event for them should be a precedent to note. Mombasa have gone ahead and host their own off-calendar event at that same time to meet their shortfalls, and I believe this is the path to take. Of key interest is the Impala Floodlit Tournament, slated for it's "traditional" time of January/February, whilst it has always been touted as the "traditional pre-season event". It makes no logical sense to start a tournament, after a break, interrupting an already running one, and for a period of four weeks at that. The other poorly slated tournament is the Rugby Super Series. From the sponsor's perspective, having the Safari Sevens bang in the middle of the Super Series will remove the thunder from one (or the other) event and this needs to be re-looked. Lastly, the Worldwide Structured season is to help with players preparation, player fitness, player peaking and player rest. I don't know if the senior coaches and conditioning experts have been consulted in the drawing up this new season plan.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Kenya Cup League Table as of 23/08/08
Kenya Cup League Table as of 23/08/08, as released by the Kenya Rugby Football Union.
For me, the most improved teams this season, Quins and Strathmore. From seemingly hopeless positions, Quins are challenging for the cup in the last match and Strathmore have topped my favorites, the middle order. Most disappointing, I'll say Nakuru. They lost the plot just when it was theirs' for the taking, but again, that's what a league is about. Nondies were also clueless the whole season. I consider it a waste of combined talent and pedigree.
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | FOR | AG | DIFF | BN | PTS |
| Impala | 16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 431 | 243 | 188 | 9 | 61 |
| KCB | 15 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 504 | 197 | 307 | 10 | 60 |
| Quins | 15 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 517 | 240 | 277 | 12 | 58 |
| Nakuru | 15 | 10 | 0 | 5 | 297 | 200 | 97 | 6 | 46 |
| Strathmore | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 247 | 405 | -158 | 4 | 34 |
| Mwamba | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 287 | 355 | -68 | 4 | 32 |
| Mean Machine | 15 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 243 | 264 | -21 | 6 | 21 |
| Nondescripts | 15 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 220 | 396 | -176 | 2 | 14 |
| Mombasa | 15 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 88 | 504 | -416 | 2 | 6 |
For me, the most improved teams this season, Quins and Strathmore. From seemingly hopeless positions, Quins are challenging for the cup in the last match and Strathmore have topped my favorites, the middle order. Most disappointing, I'll say Nakuru. They lost the plot just when it was theirs' for the taking, but again, that's what a league is about. Nondies were also clueless the whole season. I consider it a waste of combined talent and pedigree.
Kenya Cup Week 17
And what a weekend. Impala dropped the ball with the tryline in sight and their Kenya Cup campaign came a cropper. Having watched a few Impala games and seen the players they were using, it is a huge wonder they actually got that far. A team struggling to find the next generation to carry it through was able to put up huge match winning performances that saw them lead the league from start to almost finish. They dug in for each and every game that mattered and maybe this time the studs wore out (they do you know). That they were taught such a humiliating lesson in rugby must hurt them much more than it pleases the victors but such is life. A facade is just that and is easily blown away. To KCB they have acquitted themselves like true champions and the masters of the long haul game. They have consistently been among the top three then picked off the teams ahead, one by one.
The surprise conclusion to this Kenya Cup can only be made more dramatic by the emergence of Kenya Harlequins. Quins lost 3 of their first four games and were written off as relegation candidates. A sudden turn of form has seen them notch up huge wins and have steadily risen up the table from second last at one point, to now lie third, I doubt many saw them coming. The last match of the season, pitting KCB and Quins has now been billed as a final, since it is a winner take all situation. A draw will see KCB win the cup, but that is pretty rare in rugby and both sides will be going for the outright win.
Do have a good week.
The surprise conclusion to this Kenya Cup can only be made more dramatic by the emergence of Kenya Harlequins. Quins lost 3 of their first four games and were written off as relegation candidates. A sudden turn of form has seen them notch up huge wins and have steadily risen up the table from second last at one point, to now lie third, I doubt many saw them coming. The last match of the season, pitting KCB and Quins has now been billed as a final, since it is a winner take all situation. A draw will see KCB win the cup, but that is pretty rare in rugby and both sides will be going for the outright win.
Do have a good week.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Friday, August 22, 2008
Weekend Games
Do or die time this weekend. Impala are away to KCB in a must win tie for both teams. A win for Impala will see them reclaim the Kenya Cup. A win for KCB will see them keep alive their hopes for a fourth successive title as they will have one more game against Quins. Quins are at home to Nondies while Strathmore play Mean Machine at home. Mombasa will host Nakuru.
Results after the games as usual.
Results after the games as usual.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Weekly Ramble
Today, a change of tone. We're all proud to be Kenyan and after the few medals won at the Olympics, our sense of nationalism and pride has been restored. Our victory over Uganda over the weekend has also silenced the critics, at least for a while. And what is obvious is that we are not who we think we are. Take out four or five people from that team and we are struggling. My post today is a challenge to the other 20,000 (KRFU figures, not mine) rugby players out there.
Why do we have such few players at the top? Other than our development programme that we have roundly criticised on this forum before, what stops us from having more "quality" players at the top? Is there anything an individual and do to at least prepare himself for the game at the top? Are the players aware of what they require too be considered amongst the best in the country? A story is told, from the amateur era, of Sean Fitzpatrick, legendary All Black captain. Fitzpatrick would wake up his wife at 5.00 a.m. every day, before getting ready for work, put her on a chair, and throw the rugby ball to her, for half an our each day! Where am I going with this story? Well there is a lot an individual rugby player can do to improve himself. The least of these is to get fit. I notice that players today try to get fit at the club. They wait for the "warm down" session to improve on their fitness whereas this should be just that, a warm down session. No longer is road work considered of value in Kenyan rugby. No longer is hillwork considered of value in Kenyan rugby. No longer are four by tens considered of value in Kenyan rugby. No longer do players take fitness as their primary responsibility. Players are ready to bitch and whine that they have no coach. The coach doesn't make them work hard enough, etc. Why are they not ready to do all that on their own? Hit the gym on their own? Work on their aerobic base on their own? Why are we so ready to leave our destiny in other people's hands? I find this totally strange.
Without sounding too much like a cliche, ask not what rugby can do for you, ask what you can do for rugby. Only then do we have a starting point, as individuals, without being quick to blame the captain, the coach and the chairman of the union.
Why do we have such few players at the top? Other than our development programme that we have roundly criticised on this forum before, what stops us from having more "quality" players at the top? Is there anything an individual and do to at least prepare himself for the game at the top? Are the players aware of what they require too be considered amongst the best in the country? A story is told, from the amateur era, of Sean Fitzpatrick, legendary All Black captain. Fitzpatrick would wake up his wife at 5.00 a.m. every day, before getting ready for work, put her on a chair, and throw the rugby ball to her, for half an our each day! Where am I going with this story? Well there is a lot an individual rugby player can do to improve himself. The least of these is to get fit. I notice that players today try to get fit at the club. They wait for the "warm down" session to improve on their fitness whereas this should be just that, a warm down session. No longer is road work considered of value in Kenyan rugby. No longer is hillwork considered of value in Kenyan rugby. No longer are four by tens considered of value in Kenyan rugby. No longer do players take fitness as their primary responsibility. Players are ready to bitch and whine that they have no coach. The coach doesn't make them work hard enough, etc. Why are they not ready to do all that on their own? Hit the gym on their own? Work on their aerobic base on their own? Why are we so ready to leave our destiny in other people's hands? I find this totally strange.
Without sounding too much like a cliche, ask not what rugby can do for you, ask what you can do for rugby. Only then do we have a starting point, as individuals, without being quick to blame the captain, the coach and the chairman of the union.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Enterprise Cup Draw Released
The Kenya Rugby Football Union have released the draw for this year's Enterprise Cup. Interesting to note that there will be two Ugandan and one Tanzanian side taking part in this year's event. KCB are the defending champions. The draw is as below.
Draw
September 6: Nondescripts v UTL Kobs (ASK Jamhuri Show ground), G4S Pirates v Strathmore University (Kampala), Tanzania Twigas v Mombasa Sports Club (Arusha), Quins v Impala (RFUEA ground); September 13: Mean Machine v Nondescripts/UTL Kobs (University of Nairobi ground), Mwamba v G4S Pirates/Strathmore University (Nairobi Railway Club), Kenya Commercial Bank v Tanzania Twigas/Mombasa Sports Club (KCB Sports Club, Ruaraka), Nakuru v Quins/Impala (Nakuru Athletic Club); September 20: Semi-finals; September 27: Final.
Monday, August 18, 2008
Kenya Retain Elgon Cup
Well, we had this one called all wrong. Deep at the back of my mind, I believed truly all the stuff I've been spewing on this blog and was certain in some ways Uganda was better than us in fifteen man rugby. The players did not believe it and neither did the fans. Our boys learnt from their previous encounters with Uganda and took them at their strong point, the forwards. Uganda were fooled into expecting us to use our strong point, our sevens stars. When this did not pan out as expected, they were confused and unable to go back to the drawing board. That we were totally at full strength in all departments also meant we had few weaknesses to exploit. And with our home crowd... well they were always going to struggle.
What then does this mean, that we have beaten the Africa Champions? To me, nothing. Even the adage that "you are as good as your last game" does not hold water with me. That the KRFU website claims we have 20,000 players playing the game and whine when five are unavailable to me is the problem. That we are not able to consistently produce a top class performance to me is the problem. That we wait until we are before our home fans to feel accountable to them to me is the problem. And that we are content only with beating Uganda to me is also a problem.
Do have a good week and wait for the next Kenya fifteens game, sometime next year...
What then does this mean, that we have beaten the Africa Champions? To me, nothing. Even the adage that "you are as good as your last game" does not hold water with me. That the KRFU website claims we have 20,000 players playing the game and whine when five are unavailable to me is the problem. That we are not able to consistently produce a top class performance to me is the problem. That we wait until we are before our home fans to feel accountable to them to me is the problem. And that we are content only with beating Uganda to me is also a problem.
Do have a good week and wait for the next Kenya fifteens game, sometime next year...
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Kenya vs Uganda 16-08-08
Final Score Kenya 39 Uganda 20. Kenya retain the cup with a 2-point margin.
Kenya vs. Uganda 16-08-08
This match is traditionally the most competitive match of the calendar. In the past eighteen months, Kenya have won one match and Uganda three. Both matches Uganda won were at home and one in Madagascar while the one Kenya won was at home. This tends to create the impression that the home side is favored to win. Going by our recent history, let us say four years, Kenya have won once in Uganda and Uganda once in Kenya. What does that mean? Nothing really. Games between these two sides come down to who is more prepared, in all aspects of the game. Physically, technically, emotionally and psychologically. The Kenya technical team have already ceded ground (or conceded defeat) in two areas, the physical and the technical. That leaves the battle on the last two fronts only. The only hope Kenya would have is the psychological, and coming in as underdogs, they again fall short. Uganda come into this game as reigning Africa champions. They have also qualified for the Semi Finals of this years competition whereas Kenya fell short. They will thus be on top of the world and will actually have nothing to prove in this game. Kenya on the other hand are out to prove that they remain the best rugby side in East and Central Africa. The criteria they use to get to this conclusion baffles me. Even if it is just to get the order of things right, we need to do that from ground level. A victory in this game to Kenya would thus only be an emotional one, a sigh of relief, a ray of hope that given the right tools, maybe we can be the best in Africa (also). If you ask me, maybe it is better to lose this game, to kill the emotion, to keep us holding our breaths, to dampen that ray of hope. What would the effect of this be? To force us back to the drawing board. We will stop holding lofty ideals. We will stop believing too much in ourselves as persons. We will realise that sevens rugby is just that, a version of the real rugby. Only then, maybe, will we start working on structures to improve our rugby.
My call, Kenya by 7 points.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Kenya Team for Elgon Cup
The technical team have released the below squad to face Uganda in the return leg of the Elgon Cup on Saturday 16th August.
A few casual observations. League leaders Impala only have one player in the entire twenty two man squad. This time we have an abundance of jumpers on the starting pack, don't know how many effective lifters will balance this out. We do not have and effective backup line-out thrower on the bench, nor a jumper either, but maybe we can juggle those on the pitch. On backline replacements, other than Mose, the rest will be weakening the backline so don't expect substitutions in that area. One other major concern is the quality of locks. Fine jumpers they are, but I'm worried about their strength in set pieces. I expect Uganda to use a lot of driving and rolling mauls and our back five in the pack are all people more ready to run than get down and push.
1. Daniel Kiptoo -
2. Vincent Ongera -
3. Joel Ng’anga -
4. Anthony Ogot - Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
5. Wilson Kopondo - Mean Machine RFC
6. Allan Onyango -
7. David Mogere -
8. Leslie Libasia -
9. Peter Mutai - Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
10. Lavin Asego - Mwamba RFC
11. Collins Injera - Mwamba RFC
12. Cyprian Shimenga - Nakuru RFC
13. Humphrey Kayange - Mwamba RFC
14. Horace Otieno - Mwamba RFC
15. Innocent Simiyu - Impala RFC [Captain]
16. Frank Amiani - Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
17. Derrick Wamalwa - Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
18. Paul Murunga - Kenya Commercial Bank RFC
19. Fednard Ngaira - Nakuru RFC
20. David Gitau -
21. Sidney Nderitu - Mwamba RFC
22. Vincent Mose - Nakuru RFC
A few casual observations. League leaders Impala only have one player in the entire twenty two man squad. This time we have an abundance of jumpers on the starting pack, don't know how many effective lifters will balance this out. We do not have and effective backup line-out thrower on the bench, nor a jumper either, but maybe we can juggle those on the pitch. On backline replacements, other than Mose, the rest will be weakening the backline so don't expect substitutions in that area. One other major concern is the quality of locks. Fine jumpers they are, but I'm worried about their strength in set pieces. I expect Uganda to use a lot of driving and rolling mauls and our back five in the pack are all people more ready to run than get down and push.
Kenya Under 19 Team
The Squad is as below.
Eric Kioko, Ryan Musumba, Kevin Gacheru, Mugambi Kithamba, Jeff Ojwach, George Mutuku, Ken Andola, Oscar Otindo, Michael Wanjala, Ken Gitobu (Strathmore University), Anthony Ngera, Dennis Karani, Owen Ocholla, Joel Omer, Anthony Oyugi, Mathew Musalia, Jacob Kamau (Impala), Francis Muhindi, David Wachira, Lyle Asiligwa, Anthony Nyandigisi, David Ambunya (St. Mary’s), Patrice Agunda (Kenya Harlequin FC) and Ken Isindu (Nondescripts).
Eric Kioko, Ryan Musumba, Kevin Gacheru, Mugambi Kithamba, Jeff Ojwach, George Mutuku, Ken Andola, Oscar Otindo, Michael Wanjala, Ken Gitobu (Strathmore University), Anthony Ngera, Dennis Karani, Owen Ocholla, Joel Omer, Anthony Oyugi, Mathew Musalia, Jacob Kamau (Impala), Francis Muhindi, David Wachira, Lyle Asiligwa, Anthony Nyandigisi, David Ambunya (St. Mary’s), Patrice Agunda (Kenya Harlequin FC) and Ken Isindu (Nondescripts).
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Weekly Ramble
There has been a lot going on since Kenya's elimination from the World Cup Qualifiers a week ago. Mail is flying round back and forth with the usual accusing fingers pointing at the union and a few union officials offering spirited defense. On one note I stand to be corrected. I have claimed several times that the union has no strategic plan, or mission, vision and values. I have come to be educated that these exist, at least on paper. Apparently the clubs approved and adopted such a paper in early 2006 after a protracted process. It was reviewed (by way of mention that it exists) at the union AGM in 2007. This is the same plan that was presented to the IRB big wigs last week and got a resounding clap for be being very astute. However, what has emerged is that most people do not actually know of the existence of such a document. That clubs change officials nearly every year means different officials are in charge of the clubs today than were in 2006 or even 2007. And there lies our institutional memory or structures. A damning self evaluation by one of the directors of the strategic plan declared it mortally flawed ab initio. The budgets set for the first year were way too high and no teams or individuals were tasked with implementing the strategic plan! That declared the whole thing a non-starter. The recommendation was that with 2006 not valid, to re-align the objectives with 2007 as a start date. Well, we're in 2008 and whilst we should be smack in the middle of the strategic plan, we are yet to start it. Methinks that's the same as not having a plan at all.
On an aside. The National Under 19 team has been named and they are due to depart early next week for Tunisia for the African Championship. In this team, an astonishing nine out of twenty two players play their rugby for various clubs. A good number of the players have been on this team for three years now. This would suggest the squad is fairly experienced and should do much better. To me, it is going to be a damning indictment of our development programmes and our rugby as a whole. Firstly, I believe we lose a lot of good/great players at the school level. Many of the good players at this level do not opt to play for clubs and their rugby careers end there. Secondly, our best/hardest/toughest school players undoubtedly come from Western and Nyanza provinces. There is a glaring omission of players from that region. Thirdly, that some of the players named from clubs are in their third season at club level, also begets two questions. Either these players have been playing club rugby whilst below the official age allowed by the IRB (18), or we're sending over-age players to the games! Personally I see it as a lack of effort to build the best team possible. National competitions are held for both sevens and fifteens at school level as well as the Safari Sevens so selecting players for the team should not be a problem. Not wanting to go there, but the fact that the coach of the team has selected most of the players from the two clubs he is affiliated to also shows a lack of a well organised selection system. And since we have so many "club" players in the team, we can now measure how our clubs fare against the schoolboy sides of the continent!
On an aside. The National Under 19 team has been named and they are due to depart early next week for Tunisia for the African Championship. In this team, an astonishing nine out of twenty two players play their rugby for various clubs. A good number of the players have been on this team for three years now. This would suggest the squad is fairly experienced and should do much better. To me, it is going to be a damning indictment of our development programmes and our rugby as a whole. Firstly, I believe we lose a lot of good/great players at the school level. Many of the good players at this level do not opt to play for clubs and their rugby careers end there. Secondly, our best/hardest/toughest school players undoubtedly come from Western and Nyanza provinces. There is a glaring omission of players from that region. Thirdly, that some of the players named from clubs are in their third season at club level, also begets two questions. Either these players have been playing club rugby whilst below the official age allowed by the IRB (18), or we're sending over-age players to the games! Personally I see it as a lack of effort to build the best team possible. National competitions are held for both sevens and fifteens at school level as well as the Safari Sevens so selecting players for the team should not be a problem. Not wanting to go there, but the fact that the coach of the team has selected most of the players from the two clubs he is affiliated to also shows a lack of a well organised selection system. And since we have so many "club" players in the team, we can now measure how our clubs fare against the schoolboy sides of the continent!
Kenya Cup League Table as of 09/08/08
As released by the Kenya Rugby Football Union
Impala are poised to win this one next weekend when they play KCB away at the Den. Mathematically, three teams have a chance for the title, but I don't think Impala will drop the ball at this stage. We'll wait and see.
This weekend the league gives way to the return match of the Elgon Cup against Uganda.
| TEAM | P | W | D | L | FOR | AG | DIFF | Bn | PTS |
| Impala | 15 | 13 | 0 | 2 | 422 | 200 | 222 | 9 | 61 |
| KCB | 14 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 461 | 188 | 273 | 9 | 55 |
| Quins | 14 | 10 | 1 | 3 | 469 | 217 | 252 | 11 | 53 |
| Nakuru | 14 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 266 | 181 | 85 | 6 | 42 |
| Mwamba | 15 | 6 | 1 | 8 | 287 | 355 | -68 | 4 | 32 |
| Strathmore | 13 | 5 | 1 | 8 | 228 | 380 | -152 | 3 | 25 |
| Mean Machine | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 235 | 236 | -1 | 6 | 21 |
| Nondescripts | 14 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 197 | 348 | -151 | 2 | 14 |
| Mombasa | 14 | 2 | 0 | 12 | 88 | 490 | -402 | 2 | 8 |
Impala are poised to win this one next weekend when they play KCB away at the Den. Mathematically, three teams have a chance for the title, but I don't think Impala will drop the ball at this stage. We'll wait and see.
This weekend the league gives way to the return match of the Elgon Cup against Uganda.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Weekend Games
As the crunch approaches, people are really digging in. Impala frustrated Mwamba and maintained their lead at the top of the table, KCB also ended Nondies' recent winning streak and Quins barely survived at the hands of my favorite people, the middle order. The top three thus remained unchanged. I'm just waiting for the official results to see if there is any change in points difference but I doubt it. It's down to the last two games and any of the three teams at the top can take. Impala have only one game left and could take the title with a win at KCB this weekend. Keep your browser to this blog for an explosive finish to the league.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Kenya Cup Results
Nondies 16 KCB 36 Impala 33 Mwamba 22 Quins 45 Machine 24 Strathmore 57 Mombasa 7.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Are We Victims of Our Own Mediocrity?
We have had quite some exchanges in the past posts to do with what the Union should do, is doing and should not be doing as regards Rugby In Kenya. The people who visit this blog seem to be on the same page, but the Union appears to be on a totally different page. We have accused them of management by crisis and moving along from one situation to another without forward thinking or forward planning. Arguments have been mooted that sevens rugby is our platform to build on the fifteens without any focus seeming to be made in this direction by the union. For instance, what prevents the sponsors of the Elgon Cup, who happen to be the same sponsors of the Safari Sevens from making it as big a party as the Sevens? It is no secret they are only after direct sales of their product at the event, but why the lack of hype around it?
This is actually not a post about the sponsor, but more of our managers at the top of the game. In most businesses, there is a critical component of self evaluation called benchmarking. This is where you compare where you stand with your peers or competitors in the market in terms of everything you do. This will give you an idea of where you are and where you can be. That seems to be the problem of the Union. Who do we benchmark against? It is a given we cannot use the so called Tier 1 and 2 nations as these are 'way above us'. However, hearing Union officials talk, you could think we are in these Tiers. Hearing the Chairman complain about being made to prequalify for the World Cup when our "Team 3" can beat the likes of Cameroun and Cote D'Ivoire shows this mentality. Perhaps we do not understand such terms as benchmarking. My belief is that you must benchmark against the same "standards" throughout. We are very ready to compare ourselves with the top rugby nations of the world in terms of playing, but we are also very comfortable being compared with the lowly nations in terms of management. What do I mean? We claim we can take on the best in the world on the field, but when our management is found wanting, we are ready to say "we are better than countries like A, B, C..". That to me, is where our problem lies. We have variable height posts that we adjust according to who is watching the game or the training session.
The IRB top brass have been here for a meeting and apparently are very impressed with our "top brass". They are amazed at the quality of management and amazed at what we are doing with the resources at our disposal. They believe our union is one of the best managed on the continent and can be a model for other unions. With that judgement, the heads of the "top brass" have grown 4 times larger and wait and see the arrogance and impunity with which they will run the sport from now on. They are in fact complaining that they are working very hard, but the rugby public is not content and they don't understand why. Well, I'll say this. Kenyans set very high standards for themselves and are not content with mediocrity. That we Kenyans benchmark ourselves against the best in the world is a testimony to our self belief and commitment to being the best. Such attitudes as they want us to have will not see us win any gold medals at the ongoing Olympic games! Such attitudes are not what make Kenyans the most sought after captains of commerce and industry within Africa and the World at large! Such attitudes are what is slowing down sport, the fastest growing industry in the world, in Kenya.
Have a good weekend.
Friday, August 8, 2008
Weekend Games
Well, as predicted ages ago, it has come and gone and we're now back to mediocrity. Kenya Cup continues. Nondies play host to KCB, Impala host Mwamba, Quins host Mean Machine and Strathmore host Mombasa. All the games promise to be interesting. Nondies are on some sort of revival and will be putting this to the test, though I expect them to run out of steam soon. All eyes will be on the Impala vs. Mwamba game to see if Impala can avoid dropping those valuable points once again. As usual, scores after the games.
On another note, the KRFU will today be unveiling a sponsorship for the Enterprise Cup. While it is good, I am a believer that all sponsorship must trickle down to the clubs. For instance, will KRFU pay all participating clubs a fee? Will they help clubs prepare their grounds for the games? In what way will the participating clubs benefit directly from the sponsorship? Is there substantial prize money? What really are the Union's costs in holding the tournament? What are the club's costs in participating in the tournament? Is all this considered when sourcing sponsorship? All these need to be taken into consideration when sponsorship is sought.
On another note, the KRFU will today be unveiling a sponsorship for the Enterprise Cup. While it is good, I am a believer that all sponsorship must trickle down to the clubs. For instance, will KRFU pay all participating clubs a fee? Will they help clubs prepare their grounds for the games? In what way will the participating clubs benefit directly from the sponsorship? Is there substantial prize money? What really are the Union's costs in holding the tournament? What are the club's costs in participating in the tournament? Is all this considered when sourcing sponsorship? All these need to be taken into consideration when sponsorship is sought.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Weekly Ramble
After the debacle of our bungled attempt at World Cup qualification, it can only be the subject of my ramble this week. It is three years to the event and we are already relegated to the position of spectators, without a chance in hell to even make it to the later qualifying rounds. All manner of excuses can be given, but I will spare the technical team and the players on this one. I have already talked about it in several past posts.
The buck on our performances stops squarely on the Chairman of the board of the Kenya Rugby Football Union. I will ask the questions I have asked before. What is our vision as a rugby fraternity? I would assume it is to be competitive in world rugby and to perform to the highest level of our abilities. Without mincing too many words, to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. What then have we put in place to achieve our goals? Frankly speaking, I don't know. Do we have any programs in place to upskill our coaches or our players? Do we have any plans to bring in foreign assistance, should we require it, to help us achieve our goals? I don't think so either. Personally I believe every vision should have a strategic plan attached to it i.e. the path to the vision. Do we have one? Who is responsible for formulating and implementing such a plan? The buck stops there entirely. As directors in the Union, do they have any say in things or are they just rubber stamps of unilateral decisions from the top? Why do I ask this? I have seen several directors who used to speak fiercly about things as I do when they were out of the Union. They step in and silence. Apparently a lone director does not have the ability to change things, even within his area of responsibility. I'm not sure, but I think we have a director in charge of development, one in charge of 7's, one in charge of 15's and one in charge of schools. We also have one in charge of fixtures. I wonder how many times they sit together to work on a common strategy, because to me all these are interlinked. If they have a working committee in this structure they can come up with common goals and objectives and push their common agenda through at board level. But no, maybe rub the buck holder the wrong way and you're on your own. Don't rock a "successful" boat, full pun intended. To end this point I ask, what does the Chairman stand for?
Additional comments by Ruggerbug
The obssession with selection seems to come from our nature as Kenyans. We are always selecting. MP's, Ministers, Mayors, Councillors, we always want to know who is and who isn't. Even our papers revel more in who was dropped as opposed to who was selected. They always want to know why so and so is not in the team as opposed to why so and so is in the team. We seem to have a preconceived idea of who should be playing and who should not. Sorry to say that this the mentality of the KRFU as well and extends to their perception of the technical teams. I do not have actual figures, and maybe someone can help me out here, but how many techinical teams, in terms of coaches and their assistants have we had in the last ten years? We seem quick to condemn coaches for "failure' whereas the question should be asked what we did to help them succeed. And in my recollection, I also do not think any of these coaches resigned (bar one due to job relocation), all were sacked! Were any of them debriefed to find out their experiences or their concerns? Are they involved today in any sort of rugby activity? Even former presidents are retained as advisors to sitting presidents, simply because of their experiences (if not wisdom). Are our past coaches utilised in any way? Do we have a structure to create or generate institutional knowledge/wisdom/history? Is the Union using the coaches as scapegoats for their own inequities? That coach after coach has "failed" should in itself be a pointer to our lack of good enough coaches and cause us to look elsewhere, if necessary. I know now eyes are all round looking "who else can coach the team?"
Our take is as follows. Since we are out of the Rugby World Cup, our target can only be the 2015 world cup. The qualifiers will begin maybe two year earlier so we still have about 5 years to prepare. Our take would be to give one technical team that assignment now. Let them build a team for that qualifier from now. Let them have first choice on players that fit into their plan, even over the 7's team. Let them get the team fit, first and foremost. Complaining that teams are fitter than us won't do. Internationally recognised fitness programs and targets are only a Google search away. And it is ony fit players who should be in the team. This has worked very well for the 7's, why not the 15's. Then you have time to work on systems, structures, patterns, game plans, etc. For continuity sake, it is good to build a core team that will be able to go the distance, and build around them. Constant selection will not work. Select to fill a need as opposed to just "getting better players". This means one only leaves the squad if they fail in their set objectives. And all this must be clear to playes in the squad, and prospective players as well. If we have this mindset, we will be well on the way to improving our rugby.
As an aside, we play Uganda a week on Saturday in the return leg of the Elgon Cup. Contrast this, Uganda have had the same coach for close to ten years. He is regularly upskilled with stints in New Zealand and South Africa. When they have a foreign coach, he works under this coach. They have had greats like Jeremy Guscott, Chester Williams and now David Dobela, all working with him in improving Uganda rugby as a whole. The technical team of the national team goes round all clubs, explaining what they are trying to achieve at national level, and giving the players an insight as to what they are looking for in players. This greatly helps the general understanding of the game by all and helps the players work towards selection in a structured manner. Rub that by the old farts at HQ and all they will talk about is the 7s' circuit and the Safari 7's, like that's all the rugby in the world. We as a public want more!
The buck on our performances stops squarely on the Chairman of the board of the Kenya Rugby Football Union. I will ask the questions I have asked before. What is our vision as a rugby fraternity? I would assume it is to be competitive in world rugby and to perform to the highest level of our abilities. Without mincing too many words, to qualify for the Rugby World Cup. What then have we put in place to achieve our goals? Frankly speaking, I don't know. Do we have any programs in place to upskill our coaches or our players? Do we have any plans to bring in foreign assistance, should we require it, to help us achieve our goals? I don't think so either. Personally I believe every vision should have a strategic plan attached to it i.e. the path to the vision. Do we have one? Who is responsible for formulating and implementing such a plan? The buck stops there entirely. As directors in the Union, do they have any say in things or are they just rubber stamps of unilateral decisions from the top? Why do I ask this? I have seen several directors who used to speak fiercly about things as I do when they were out of the Union. They step in and silence. Apparently a lone director does not have the ability to change things, even within his area of responsibility. I'm not sure, but I think we have a director in charge of development, one in charge of 7's, one in charge of 15's and one in charge of schools. We also have one in charge of fixtures. I wonder how many times they sit together to work on a common strategy, because to me all these are interlinked. If they have a working committee in this structure they can come up with common goals and objectives and push their common agenda through at board level. But no, maybe rub the buck holder the wrong way and you're on your own. Don't rock a "successful" boat, full pun intended. To end this point I ask, what does the Chairman stand for?
Additional comments by Ruggerbug
The obssession with selection seems to come from our nature as Kenyans. We are always selecting. MP's, Ministers, Mayors, Councillors, we always want to know who is and who isn't. Even our papers revel more in who was dropped as opposed to who was selected. They always want to know why so and so is not in the team as opposed to why so and so is in the team. We seem to have a preconceived idea of who should be playing and who should not. Sorry to say that this the mentality of the KRFU as well and extends to their perception of the technical teams. I do not have actual figures, and maybe someone can help me out here, but how many techinical teams, in terms of coaches and their assistants have we had in the last ten years? We seem quick to condemn coaches for "failure' whereas the question should be asked what we did to help them succeed. And in my recollection, I also do not think any of these coaches resigned (bar one due to job relocation), all were sacked! Were any of them debriefed to find out their experiences or their concerns? Are they involved today in any sort of rugby activity? Even former presidents are retained as advisors to sitting presidents, simply because of their experiences (if not wisdom). Are our past coaches utilised in any way? Do we have a structure to create or generate institutional knowledge/wisdom/history? Is the Union using the coaches as scapegoats for their own inequities? That coach after coach has "failed" should in itself be a pointer to our lack of good enough coaches and cause us to look elsewhere, if necessary. I know now eyes are all round looking "who else can coach the team?"
Our take is as follows. Since we are out of the Rugby World Cup, our target can only be the 2015 world cup. The qualifiers will begin maybe two year earlier so we still have about 5 years to prepare. Our take would be to give one technical team that assignment now. Let them build a team for that qualifier from now. Let them have first choice on players that fit into their plan, even over the 7's team. Let them get the team fit, first and foremost. Complaining that teams are fitter than us won't do. Internationally recognised fitness programs and targets are only a Google search away. And it is ony fit players who should be in the team. This has worked very well for the 7's, why not the 15's. Then you have time to work on systems, structures, patterns, game plans, etc. For continuity sake, it is good to build a core team that will be able to go the distance, and build around them. Constant selection will not work. Select to fill a need as opposed to just "getting better players". This means one only leaves the squad if they fail in their set objectives. And all this must be clear to playes in the squad, and prospective players as well. If we have this mindset, we will be well on the way to improving our rugby.
As an aside, we play Uganda a week on Saturday in the return leg of the Elgon Cup. Contrast this, Uganda have had the same coach for close to ten years. He is regularly upskilled with stints in New Zealand and South Africa. When they have a foreign coach, he works under this coach. They have had greats like Jeremy Guscott, Chester Williams and now David Dobela, all working with him in improving Uganda rugby as a whole. The technical team of the national team goes round all clubs, explaining what they are trying to achieve at national level, and giving the players an insight as to what they are looking for in players. This greatly helps the general understanding of the game by all and helps the players work towards selection in a structured manner. Rub that by the old farts at HQ and all they will talk about is the 7s' circuit and the Safari 7's, like that's all the rugby in the world. We as a public want more!
Monday, August 4, 2008
Weekend Games
First, I vent. This is just pursuant to my past several posts summarised here. Three years to the next Rugby World Cup, we are out, and have no hope of qualifying and no idea where our rugby lies. I do not know who to unleash on, so let me pick on where the buck stops. On second thoughts, that will be the topic for my ramble this week. So I'll just summarise my thoughts on the game. My immediate thoughts are that CAR screwed up big time by making our qualifiers too early. Even if a team qualifies for the World Cup from these games, what are the chances the same team will play in the World Cup, given the volatility of African teams (4 of the Cameroun players did not go back home after their game here last month...).
I do not think we were prepared for that game, or for any game whatsoever. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we're focusing our training on selecting players as opposed to coaching what we have. Once you have "stars" or indispensable people in the team, you have a problem. They will not train because they know you need them. They will demoralise those who train as well. In the end you're relying on hope and prayer as opposed to a planned strategy or pattern. As I said after the Cameroun game, instead of using it as a training session, we got carried away and played an unstructured running around game, that produced tries, some out of nothing, but did nothing for our structure or working as a team. This week we will do a "no holds barred" ramble in conjunction with Ruggerbug. And I still insist it is the clubs to have a say in the running of the Union.
On the local scene, the results favored all the seeded teams and means there is no realignment in the table standings. Impala remain on top, but KCB close the gap with one point. Quins remain in third place two points behind while Nakuru remain in fourth but lose 5 points on the pace at the top. With three matches to go... hang on, it's going to be quite a ride.
I do not think we were prepared for that game, or for any game whatsoever. I've said it before and I'll say it again, we're focusing our training on selecting players as opposed to coaching what we have. Once you have "stars" or indispensable people in the team, you have a problem. They will not train because they know you need them. They will demoralise those who train as well. In the end you're relying on hope and prayer as opposed to a planned strategy or pattern. As I said after the Cameroun game, instead of using it as a training session, we got carried away and played an unstructured running around game, that produced tries, some out of nothing, but did nothing for our structure or working as a team. This week we will do a "no holds barred" ramble in conjunction with Ruggerbug. And I still insist it is the clubs to have a say in the running of the Union.
On the local scene, the results favored all the seeded teams and means there is no realignment in the table standings. Impala remain on top, but KCB close the gap with one point. Quins remain in third place two points behind while Nakuru remain in fourth but lose 5 points on the pace at the top. With three matches to go... hang on, it's going to be quite a ride.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Friday, August 1, 2008
Weekend Games
The big game is of course Kenya XV's match away to Tunisia for the CAR Cup/RWC Qualifying match. Kenya needs to win this match to top their group consisting of themselves, Cameroun and Tunisia to qualify for the Semi-finals of this competition. The teams are grouped in four groups and only the top team qualifies for the semi finals. The winner will of course be declared African Champion and hopefully win the covetted place to the RWC.
On the local scene, league leaders Impala host Nakuru, KCB host Mwamba, Nondies host Mean Machine and Quins host Mombasa. The first two matches are very decisive in that a loss for either Impala, Nakuru or KCB could put paid to their title hopes. The Nondies Machine game is a bottom of the table clash and is a fight against relegation (if any such thing exists) while Quins should have a walk in the park against Mombasa. Results for all matches after the games.
On the local scene, league leaders Impala host Nakuru, KCB host Mwamba, Nondies host Mean Machine and Quins host Mombasa. The first two matches are very decisive in that a loss for either Impala, Nakuru or KCB could put paid to their title hopes. The Nondies Machine game is a bottom of the table clash and is a fight against relegation (if any such thing exists) while Quins should have a walk in the park against Mombasa. Results for all matches after the games.
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