BY BS Mulavi

The Tusker Safari Sevens proved to be a strong culmination for the Kenya national Sevens team who emerged sixth in the International Rugby Board Sevens circuit.

Lifting the trophy for the second year in a row was no easy feat but the talented squad made it look like a stroll in the park.

The jubilation and dance upon lifting the trophy showed just how important the tournament was for coach Benjamin Ayimba and his boys.

"It was very important for us to finish top, we have been playing very well in other countries and so we had to put on a great show here at home," said captain Humphrey Kayange.

"The fans have been supporting us for so long and so we had to make sure we gave them a show to remember."

Even though the captain has rest in his mind he is still thinking of the new season scheduled to kick off in December:

"We will be expecting some new talent to get into the team but I think we have set up a bar which they will be expected to top if they hope to play in the national team, said Kayange.

The Kenya Sevens team made great strides in development by fielding three teams in the tournament.

Maybe it was by luck that two foreign teams pulled out of the event forcing the tournament organisers to slot in two more Kenyan teams but the result was 36 Kenyan players playing in the tournament and getting the much-valued international exposure.

Fielding of a team whose average age was 20 was definitely a step in the right direction, and also the inclusion of a veterans tournament showed that age should not be an issue when embarking on sport and fitness.

The Western Kenya final in the school category also acted as a wakeup call to the Kenya Rugby Football Union (KRFU) of the unexploited areas of rugby in the country.

Western Kenya has always been the hub of core players in the country, but most of the players have to travel up to Nakuru or Nairobi to get competitive action.

One area that the tournament lagged behind in was the ladies category especially in a time when the sport is rapidly expanding in the girls’ secondary school category, holding just two teams in the tournament with Mwamba being forced to break into two, so as to have three teams in the event was a step backward.

Overall it was kudos to the KRFU for hosting over twelve nationalities which eventually forced even the Government to come in and lend their support, with the Kenya Tourist Board getting on board and the deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi assuming the role of rugby patron ahead of the tournament.