Kenya Cup 30.10.10

Nondies down Strathmore at Jamhuri Park
Quins roll over Mwamba in fierce game
KCB silence visiting Nakuru

Nondies 29 Strathmore 24
Quins 36 Mwamba 17
KCB 24 Nakuru 10

Weekend Games

Kenya Cup Week 4 and the pace is picking up. KCB will host Nakuru at Impala Club, Mwamba host Quins at Railway Club and Nondies host Strathmore at Railway Club Jamhuri Park... All interesting matches that can go either way. I think the forthcoming death of Paul was the death of my predictions as well, but I'll stick my neck out. KCB will win over Nakuru by 8 points. Mwamba will pip Quins by a score. Nondies/Strathmore... I'll give Nondies, also by a score.

Do have a good weekend and enjoy your rugby.

Weekly Ramble

Growing old at this, one day late again. Not to worry. Was digesting a couple of things and mulling them over my mind. Catch 22, the devil's alternative, between the devil and the deep blue sea, damned if you do, damned if you don't. What happens next?

I sympathise with two sets of people. The technical team for the National Sevens Team, as well as the players. At the risk of repeating myself as I have expressed these sentiments before, was watching "The Phantom Movie" last night, for those who cam in late... We have the most experienced team in the IRB circuit. And that should count for something. Unless experience does not matter, or being the best brings in complacency? In the absence of anything better to do, where are the experienced players to go? Or what reason is there to drop them? Why should we bring new blood into the team, if not just for a breathe of fresh air? Is that really what we need? Or to be playing better rugby? These questions keep turning round and round in my head and in the end the conclusion is one.

In the same way we lose players in the transition from schools to clubs, we run the risk of losing quality players who never played any top flight rugby, just for luck of opportunity. In one of my past rambles I said the team that has changed the least this season will win the Kenya Cup, and how does that affect the transition I talk about. Players leaving school think twice about joining such teams as there are owners there. And with few competitive choices available, they tend to fall out. And this in turn will happen at national level. With "owners" in the sevens team, irrespective of who is the coach, I doubt the team would change very much, how does the new player break in? And there I point at my favorite targets. The powers that be need to find higher levels for the "owners" to go to and leave space for the upcoming players. What is amiss? The highest try scorer in last season's circuit easily got a pro contract and may not be playing sevens this season. If our players are such world beaters and have such potential (remember season before we produced the highest try scorer), then why does their game end where it is now? Or are the players themselves afraid of the next step?

Do have a good week and enjoy your rugby.

As an afterthought, it is interesting that in the beginning we were faceless people who knew nothing about rugby, then malicious people out to malign characters and now, well we're moving up in the world. Is our credibility growing? Are we making sense? Do some people not want to hear what we are saying? Interesting...

Kenya 7's to Warm Up in Namibia

The National 7's team will participate in the inaugural Dune 7's in Walvis Bay Namibia as part of their preparations for the HSBC IRB World Sevens Circuit. Already confirmed are top African nations including the Springboks and Zimbabwe. This will be an ideal warm up just prior to taking part in the season opening Dubai Sevens in the first weekend of December.

Kenya 7's Squad for HSBC World Circuit Named

New faces dot the squad named by Head Coach Benjamin Ayimba today at the RFUEA grounds. 24 names were released, more than double the number that travels at any one time. That gives ample backup for training and for a second string side if required. There are no faces missing in the side save for Denis Mwanja who seems to have succumbed to the effects of his nagging injury. Challenge will be for Ayimba to blood in the new players whilst still retaining the most experienced side in the circuit and producing results. Impala and Harlequins are each represented by six players whilst circuit champions Mwamba have five. Nondies have three, Nakuru two and KCB one. The squad is as follows.

Humphrey Kayange(Mwamba RFC),
Horace Owiti(Mwamba RFC),
Edgar Abere(Mwamba RFC),
Lavin Asego(Mwamba RFC),
Collins Injera(Mwamba RFC),
Dennis Ombachi(Mwamba RFC),
Wilson Kopondo(Kenya Harlequin FC),
Leon Adongo(Kenya Harlequin FC),
David Ambunya (Kenya Harlequin FC),
Patrice Agunda (Kenya Harlequin FC),
Sidney Ashioya(Kenya Harlequin FC),
Eden Adero(Kenya Harlequin FC),
Brian Nyikuli (Impala RFC),
Lawrence Buyachi (Impala RFC),
Kevin Umbuge (Impala RFC),
Seje Owade(Impala RFC),
Innocent Simiyu(Impala RFC),
Peter Ochola(Impala RFC),
Gray Cullen(Nondescripts RFC),
Benedict Nyambu(Nondescripts RFC),
BikoAdema(Nondescripts RFC),
Oscar Ouma(Nakuru RFC),
Gibson Weru(Nakuru RFC),
Andrew Amonde(Kenya Commercial Bank RFC)

My immediate thoughts is that a structure should exist where each and every player has an equal chance of making the team, experience notwithstanding. It has been said again and again that we are too predictable and that inevitably begins with the team selection. Let marks be awarded for variety from the norm and we just might see a difference come this circuit.

We wish the team well.

Kenya Cup - Week 3

I chickened out of my predictions last week as I was going so off.. Maybe I'm too out of touch with local rugby? Or maybe I have no belief that some clubs can get as strong as the best? Whatever the case the first two weekends were interesting. More interesting to me would be the role the Impala Floodlit Tournament may have been playing in preparing sides for the season opening. Was there value in testing your players just prior in a competitive manner? Do friendlies give the same alternative? Or is there absolutely no link between pre-season form and in season form? How do we ensure that we start our games at peak form from Day 1 and maintain it throughout the season?

Despite a two week rest before even breaking a sweat, Quins registered a huge victory against Nondies, Impala won away in Nakuru and KCB bounced back to humiliate Mean Machine. Does that throw the league wide open? Is it still anyone's tournament? How will the rest weekends affect the league momentum? Will any critical team sit out the last weekend, watching and clinching their a$$e$ hoping or praying? Let's wait and see.

Do have a good rugby week. Hopefully this week we will unveil our newest blogger.

PS: Forgot to mention, new poll on the right.

Kenya. Cup Results 23.10.10

Impala win spoils Situma debut as relegation fears loom for Nakuru
Quins break Nondies spirit with hard fought opening victory
KCB recover to thrash Mean Machine as relegation battle begins

Impala 25 Nakuru 20
Quins 31 Nondies 7
KCB 48 Mean Machine 0

Weekly Ramble

Not much to talk about today. Just to sit and reminisce. We just crossed the 50,000 mark on page visits and that to me is an achievement worth celebrating. And to just think about what we may have inadvertently caused to happen.

When we started out, information flow was slow and scanty. For obvious reasons we could not use social media to communicate our messages and we just had to let people find the blog. And how to do that was the real challenge. We would post and check page stats and no one has read the blog for even up to three days. And that was depressing. I remember almost two years ago I almost called it quits but the few readers encouraged me to soldier on. Given, some of our bloggers are controversial to say the least, but they do point out where the smoke is coming from. And our mere presence in the public domain has now forced certain people to be more responsive to the needs of the people they serve as there is now a voice, that is not tethered, that speaks out. I don't know if we have any effect on them, but they do keep an eye on us. Their spirited defences of themselves at crucial times has been a pointer to this, and they accuse us of being anonymous, they themselves use anonymous identities to apparently right the wrongs! And that to me is funny...

For me I will slowly step out of some issues, as they are now being adequately covered. Interesting to note that the KRU media officer was a follower of this blog from inception and learned a lot from us (even once plagiarizing an article verbatim to post on another blog). It shows in their style, and in their selection of days to post certain articles. To take the thunder away from us, methinks not! To give us room to right other things, and that is the challenge we must take as we cross this great landmark. Our focus has been on the top league in the country and on the national teams. And now we must spread our wings. Only then will we truly by "Rugby in Kenya".

We are looking for writers to cover the areas of Schools and Ladies Rugby. Anyone who feels they can contribute to this blog in those areas is free to contact us on the mail listed on the site. You anonymity is guaranteed if you so wish. Do have a good week.

Kenya Cup Results 16.10.10

Mwamba recover to beat KCB, Strathmore record second win away to send
Nakuru bottom and Impala continue bright start with sound victory over
Machine.

Mwamba 22 KCB 17
Strathmore 29 Nakuru 10
Impala 39 Mean Machine 18

Weekend Games

Week two of the Kenya Cup this weekend. Early leaders Impala host Mean Machine, KCB host Mwamba at the RFUEA Grounds and Nakuru host Strathmore. Nondies and surprisingly Quins have a rest day this weekend.

My quick calls, Impala over Machine by 10 points, KCB over Mwamba by an equal margin and Nakuru over Strathomore by 10 points as well. To my critic over the term "by a score" and thanks for commending my English, if a score was to mean 20, I'd have to write "by a score of points".

Do have a good weekend and enjoy your rugby. Results here after the matches.

Kenya 7's : Back in town and proud of you

The boys are back in town. Kenya 7's flew back home this afternoon from New Delhi Commonwealth Games 2010 where they had their best ever showing by reaching the Main Cup quarterfinals and the plate semis. In 2006 they won the bowl so their performance has been upped this time.

Forget the talk that is going on in various forums about what could have been, these boys continue to carry the flag of Kenya and Africa high and make us proud. Let us not forget that they are lightweights competing against heavyweights. Against all odds and and in spite of the Union that is clueless and rudderless, they have done well.

To you Kenya Rugby 7's the rugby fraternity and the nation salutes you for your heroic performances. Samoa being felled at your feet are testimony to that. They fell at your feet. Now the IRB series beckons and we look forward to you boys winning at least one IRB Rugby Series. Also in Grey Cullen we have found a new warrior to wear the Kenya colours.

Go Kenya Go Kenya Go Kenya.

Weekly Ramble

It is interesting how anonymity irks fellows. Talking to someone you cannot see or listening to someone you do not know is really frustrating. I feel it and I know others feel it to. Why is it that we get more pained by criticism from faceless persons? Is it any less true? Or does it just hurt more? Maybe you wonder why the anonymity then? Well to me it is simple. It is a Kenyan thing and an African thing. We want to be able to determine the credentials of the messenger, whether he is worth listening to, or not. And as Ruggerbug has always said, we are elitist! We do not want to listen to the ground. We do not want to listen to the shadows. Most times we do not want to listen PERIOD. But that was not my issue for today.

Past weekend's rugby results, beginning with Kenya Cup. A bit surprising, extremely shocking. The National Sevens Champions are still on leave! Or cannot play fifteens rugby! Or need certain players on the pitch to play! Someone hit at me for valuing structure of sheer psyche. Well I have always been a supporter of structure and skill, over sheer psyche. The psyche will pull you over the edge, but structure and skill will keep you going! I asked once before.. are these two different codes of the game? And in a way asked are some clubs really developing players? The shocking lack of depth in some sides is glaring. And you then wonder what they do year round. But anyway, the season has just begun, and maybe I'm jumping the gun. But to me I'm still shocked. I missed 2 out of 3 last weekend, and I always accept when wrong. And the better teams won. The marathon has just begun. Let the race continue.

Going onto our performance at the Commonwealth Games, regular readers of this blog will know I don't comment much on that team. Simply because not much has changed. To expect different results while doing the same thing someone once said is... We hope with our hearts, instead of thinking with our heads. And when things don't work out, we all come out screaming. To me the team is playing as best as they can given the circumstances.. and the support they get. Not from me and you, but from the people who run the game. And I also do not hit at technical, because they are also doing the best they can. Team selection is not for you, me or the union. It is for technical to decide and to use the best resources available to them. If a resource gives you heartache, choose to live without it.. and that is my take for today. Way forward....

Commonwealth Games Update: Kenya 17 Scotland 22

Perfect day yesterday, not so lucky today.... from 3 out of 3 to nought out of 2. End of the day but now we restrategise for the IRB circuit. More to follow.

UPDATE: New Zealand take the Commonwealth Rugby Gold Medal with victory over Australia.

Commonwealth Games Update: Kenya 5 Australia 27

Fired nothing. Totally disorganised in both defense and offense, making nothing out of the few opportunities we had. We now drop to the plate competition.

Have a nice day.

Commonwealth Games Update: Kenya 12 Samoa 10

Ground out this victory but a better all round performance. Quarter final time tomorrow.

Commonwealth Games Update: Kenya 17 Papua New Guinea 12

Not very convincing, especially when we did not have the ball. Our passing is good and our big men are running well. They need to play next to each other for the offload as these are being given away feebly. Conversely move it quickly away to the speedy guys.. running down the middle this time.

Next game Samoa.

Commonwealth Games Update: Kenya 40 Malaysia 0

Barely got out of first gear for this one. Good use of replacements by the technical team. Next game Papua New Guinea.

Kenya Cup results 9.10.10

Mwamba were brought down to earth by Impala, Strathmore shock Machine
and Nondies get the better of Nakuru.

Impala 62 Mwamba 5
Strathmore 27 Mean Machine 25
Nondies 15 Nakuru 5

Weekend Games

Week 1 of the Kenya Cup sees a weird start to the competition. Whereas the start of the season is supposed to be a bang, with teams releasing pent up aggression and tactics for the new season, we have a situation where two sides are "resting" in the first weekend of competition! A big first for Kenya Rugby once more (tfic). That aside, if the friendlies that took place last weekend are anything to go by, it may be the start of the most interesting season of recent times. What with Homeboyz poised to join the Kenya Cup at the end of it, are the rules now clear? Will there be promotion and relegation from the Kenya Cup? Or will it be an expanded Kenya Cup?

That aside, Nakuru host Nondies, Mwamba travel to Impala and the university derby of Mean Machine and Strathmore takes place at the former's home ground. KCB and Quins rest out the first weekend. My calls based on gut calls Nakuru/Nondies will be close but I'll give Nakuru by a score. Impala should beat Mwamba by 10 points comfortably and Machine will edge Strathmore by a score as well.

From Monday the 7's team play in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India. We'll keep you posted as usual.

Do have a super rugby weekend and enjoy yourselves.

Kenya Rugby : Kenya Cup to kick off amidst uncertainty

Two sets of fixtures released by KRFU in a space of 12 hours
highlights the confusion, indecisiveness and incompetence of the
fixtures administrator Mike Mwanja.

Simply put - let the clubs run the league.

Weekly Ramble

A new fifteens season begins, and with it the confusion that has become commonplace with multitudes of versions of fixtures. Other sports envy us though, at least we have fixtures.. they wait to be told on Friday if they have a game the next day.

But that is not my ramble for the day. A header I saw somewhere asked if the stranglehold on the cup by 3 teams will be broken this year. I tend to think not. Things have changed so much in rugby that it has remained the same. The dominance of certain clubs can be linked to what they have managed to build within themselves and that makes the difference. Over the years however, it can also be said that the most experienced team has won the cup. Going back to the days of Nondies, then Machine, then Quins, then Impala, then KCB.. most times it has been the team that has stayed together longest, that has come out tops. A one year revival and wonder, whether with expensive player purchases has never worked, maybe in the cup competition. And so what will happen this year?

It is really simple. We are an amateur union. Teams train 2-3 times a week. There is no magic a coach will do in that time. There is no time to build systems and patterns, whilst working on skills. There is no time for the players to become familiar with each other, and their styles of play. This familiarity and steady build up of skills and patterns only comes with extended periods of playing together. And the most important factor, the building of team spirit. Hence the reason why teams do not rise, the dominant one declines. All due to attrition, natural or otherwise. So to me, the least changed team over the last few seasons will win the cup.

I am yet to see the squads or team lists yet and most of what we have is assumptions, so I leave that judgment up to you.

Uganda Rugby : UTL Kobs ditch Wafula for Kasasa

This was coming save for many being either too absent-minded or thinking UTL Kobs will do nothing to arrest their recent slide.

On Friday evening, Uganda's most successful rugby club confirmed the appointment of Yayiro Musisi Kasasa as head coach to replace Herbert Wafula.

Kasasa, who was replaced as Rugby Cranes coach earlier this year by Kenyan Ham Onsando (who incidentally was fired a few weeks ago), will take charge with immediate effect as the 10-time league champions seek to turn the corner starting with the Uganda Cup.

"Herbert's appointment was up to the end of the league so when Yayiro became available we decided to make use of him," Arthur Mugweri, Kobs general secretary, explained to Sunday Monitor.

Adding; "this is not an indictment on his (Herbert) performance. He did very well coaching a young side and managing to get victories over every other side although overall, the points tally was not good."

Since their last crown in 2008, the Kampala RFC-based side has sunk to abysmal levels, finishing outside the top two for the last seasons of Uganda Rugby.

Noticing the slump, ex-Rugby Cranes and Makerere University Impis captain Wafula was brought towards the end of last year after Geoffrey Mabonga was relieved of his duties.

Repeated efforts to reach Kasasa, also a former Kobs and Rugby Cranes winger, proved futile but Mugweri thinks they got the right man.

"Kasasa has always been a Kob as long as his other rugby duties allow," he said of the national teams' coordinator and union rugby manager. Kasasa qualified as a coach in New Zealand.

Courtesy- Ismail Kigongo

Commonwealth Games Rugby : Sevens medals up in the air

Fixtures:

Commonwealth Games Rugby Sevens Tournament
Order of Play

Day One, Monday 11th October, 2010

TIME (KENYA TIME)	TEAMS	POOL
1130	South Africa v Tonga	B
1152	Wales v India	B
1214	New Zealand v Canada	A
1236	Scotland v Guyana	A
1258	England v Sri Lanka	D
1320	Australia v Uganda	D
1352	Samoa v Papua New Guinea	C
1414	Kenya v Malaysia	C
1436	South Africa v India	B
1458	Wales v Tonga	B
1520	New Zealand v Guyana	A
1542	Scotland v Canada	A
1634	England v Uganda	D
1656	Australia v Sri Lanka	D
1718	Samoa v Malaysia	C
1740	Kenya v Papua New Guinea	C
1802	Tonga v India	B
1824	Canada v Guyana	A
1856	Sri Lanka v Uganda	D
1918	Papua New Guinea v Malaysia	C
1940	South Africa v Wales	B
2002	New Zealand v Scotland	A
2024	England v Australia	D
2046	Samoa v Kenya	C

Pools

Pool A	Pool B	Pool C	Pool D
New Zealand	South Africa	Samoa	England
Scotland	Wales	Kenya	Australia
Canada	Tonga	Papua New Guinea	Sri Lanka
Guyana	India	Malaysia	Uganda

Courtesy of the International Rugby Board
TV commentator Nigel Starmer-Smith narrows down the contenders for gold, silver and bronze in the Commonwealth Games Sevens, which takes place in Delhi on 11-12 October

By Nigel Starmer-Smith

Unlike any other sport in the Commonwealth Games, for the Rugby Sevens teams it will seem like familiar territory in the sense that all the leading nations are here in Delhi - with the exception of Fiji.

I can't think of any other discipline in the Games which can boast such a great majority of its top exponents at the world level. What is more, it's a much more familiar environment than for any other sport with all the teams living on the same campus, just as the Sevens teams do on the IRB Sevens World Series, where they eat, sleep and mix socially in the same hotel.

Rugby Sevens was a late starter to the Games, first admitted in 1998, but from the outset in 1998 it has swiftly proved to be one of the most popular events. Last time out in Melbourne 150,000 people attended the tournament in the Telstra Stadium to watch new Zealand capture their third consecutive gold medal from the three Commonwealth Sevens events played.

To this day, the New Zealanders under Gordon Tietjens are yet to lose a single Commonwealth Games match.

But how things have changed dramatically in recent years. Where once the only credible challenge to New Zealand's right to triumph came from keenest rivals Fiji, now the battle for all three medals is wide open.

The facts tell the changing story: Wales are the reigning World Champions; the Current IRB Sevens World Series champions are Samoa; the champions the previous year were South Africa; at present, I would suggest that Australia and England are as capable as anyone of clinching the gold medal this time, in Delhi.

Bear in mind that Australia won the penultimate IRB Sevens event of last season, just recently at Twickenham, and without many of their regular squad available, whilst England were never beaten by more than one score, five points or less, in any of the Cup rounds of their last five tournaments.

Throw in the likes of 'big occasion ' Wales, inconsistent but talented Kenya, irrepressible Tonga, even improving Canada and Scotland and you have the makings of a riveting spectacle of 32 matches over the two days.

And while the exposure of Sri lanka, Guyana, Malaysia, India and Papua New Guinea to this top level may yield a few 'big' scores, it might also prove to be the start of something special, following the recent examples of Kenya, USA and even Samoa over this last decade.

Five main contenders

So, where's your money? I've singled out my five favourites for the gold - with absolutely no confidence, and absolutely no conviction as to who might win!

What is fascinating - and it certainly reflects the change in selection policy from the big 'one-off' events of past seasons - is to see that most coaches of the leading teams have stuck to selecting experienced Sevens exponents in their squads, rather than bringing in big names with no background of international Sevens, even when that might have been possible.

New Zealand - I am surprised that New Zealand have opted to call up three All Blacks, virtually Sevens newcomers although Hosea Gear did appear briefly in the IRB Sevens seven years ago. By contrast the inclusion of Liam Messam, a great player and a superb Sevens captain only recently, as a late replacement for Adam Thomson makes good sense.

Things have changed and top 15s players do not instantly become transformed into top Sevens specialists - the games and the player qualities required are so different today. Sevens has been a great springboard in helping to create All Blacks - 36 to date including most recently Cory Jane, Messam, Rene Ranger and Israel Dagg - but there's no pathway in the other direction. Had I been a New Zealand selector, I would have been loathe to exclude, for example, Julian Savea and Solomon King from my Delhi squad.

Nor with new and key changes can it be easy to become a slick Sevens outfit overnight and with that thought in mind it is vital for NZ that Tomasi Cama fully overcomes a nasty eye socket injury suffered less than a month ago and is fit and well enough to run the New Zealand show. Still, Gordon Tietjens may well have the last word - he's done that often enough - and dispel any doubts about the favourites making it four in a row!

Australia - with a canny coach and exciting young outfit, the Aussies will fear no-one. One new boy – Wallaby Lachie Turner - is all that Michael O'Connor has added to the squad that shot up the rankings last season and, as a flyer on the wing, he will be the most-easily assimilated into an established group. Despite the late cruel injuries to Pat McCabe and Brian Sefanaia, this Wallaby team has the look on paper anyway of champions-elect. The whole group, including late replacements Ed Jenkins and Shaun Foley, have been fully involved in Australia's Sevens revival, climaxing in winning the London title and in the returning Luke Morahan and.James Stannard they have proven class.

Samoa - What, then, of Samoa? The newest of the IRB Sevens champions have just one change, but it's a big one. Playmaker Uale Mai, who curiously heads to Spain to the El Salvador club to see out his playing days, is nigh on impossible to replace, but Paul Chan Tung has been groomed over the last couple of seasons for just this very moment. And with Fa'osiliva, Pesamino and the rest of the triumphant squad of last season all present and intact they are, in my book, as strong contenders as any.

South Africa - The team Samoa replaced as IRB Sevens World Series champions but, in truth, the fates have been especially unkind to Paul Treu and his Springbok squad this last 12 months and his luck is far from changed in the build-up to these Delhi Games. Frankie Horne broke his arm in the Middlesex Sevens and further injuries have ripped apart his top line-up. Falling like nine-pins have gone, and all through injury, Mpho Mbiyozo, his captains Neil Powell and Kyle Brown, Sampie Mastriet and Branco du Preez.

Marius Schoeman and Paul Delport are no mean replacements and there's a clutch of promising if untried newcomers in Prinsloo, Botha, Mtembu and Sithole, but even now there are doubts about Prinsloo, MJ Mentz and Chris Dry, all three injured at the Rustenberg Sevens. Cruel luck for a coach who doesn't deserve it and probably too much to overcome in the challenge for gold and silver.

England - England's challenge will be fascinating with Ben Ryan denied access to club-committed players. Frankly, I don't see that as a set-back at all with a largely specialist Sevens squad under his command and headed up by three-time Commonwealth Games participant Ben Gollings.

His is probably the only name in England's line-up that the public will recognize but that will change e'er long as Sevens cranks up for the Olympics with the likes of Cracknell, Rodwell, Barrett, Barden and Norton alongside the returning and outstanding Isoa Damu and Mat Turner. They could yet go one better than the silver medal of four years ago.

These then are my top five contenders for gold but I'm also only too aware of what happened at the Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009 in Dubai, where Fiji, England, South Africa and New Zealand all fell by the wayside in the Cup quarter finals!

So let's start again.... Wales, Kenya, Samoa … That's the beauty of it, and of the world of Sevens in general - nobody knows!