BEWARE OF COMPLACENCY: Shujaa players warned against self-regard

Kenya's Shuka Willy Ambaka forces his way out against Newcastle Wailors during tthe 2015 Safari sevens rugby tournament at Moi International Sports Centre Kasarani on Oct. 4, 2015. [PHOTO:DENNIS OKEYO/STANDARD]

Kenya Sevens players have been warned not to get carried away ahead of the third round of the 2015/16 HSBC Sevens World Series in Wellington, New Zealand.

Shujaa travels to Wellington on Sunday beaming with confidence, following their impressive performance in Cape Town, South Africa that saw them move to ninth position in overall World Rugby Series Standings. They finished fourth in the second leg with 15 points.

Although Kenya has been seeded first in Group D that includes Australia, Canada and Portugal, head coach Benjamin Ayimba has urged his players to keep their feet on the ground and not to rest on their laurels.

“This is the best and fittest team we have at the moment. We know Cape Town will be used as a point of reference, but I still reiterate that the team’s development is going on as planned as we try to solve the problems we encountered there,” said Ayimba after naming his 12-man travelling party.

“But our target is to top the group, which has Portugal, Canada and Australia. Australia performed very well in the last series, so they will be a difficult team to play against. Portugal have not been playing good rugby of late, but I know they have done something and Canada as usual, has been our bogey team.”

“The trick is when the group looks as favourable as it is now, we may be tempted to sit on our laurels and say ‘we will do better than the last leg’. But you know every team wants to move out of the danger zone and for those, who are ahead of us, really don’t want Kenya to catch up with them. We are not taking anything for granted. It is position nine and we must beat all teams we face,” added Ayimba.

His sentiments were echoed by captain Andrew Amonde, who is returning to the team after missing the first two rounds of the season due to personal reasons.

“It feels great to be back. The expectations are high and the team set high standards when they went to South Africa and we now have to use it as our benchmark. We have worked very hard ahead of the upcoming two legs and we want to achieve more. We have a strong team with a good mix of experienced and young players. As a team, we have set our targets and we are looking forward to bring back our lost glory,” said Amonde.

“It is a very balanced group. No team will have an easy ride in this one, as all are looking for a win. But we have worked on our weaknesses and I am confident we will get good results in both legs.”

After the Wellington leg, Shujaa will go to Sydney, Australia on February 6-7.