By BS Mulavi
With first blood drawn by Kenya Harlequin in the first leg of the National Sevens circuit, focus now shifts to the second leg in Kisumu where the Dala Sevens will see 32 teams get into action this weekend.
The Dala Sevens receives the most number of entries as a tournament and it has two divisions that will be contested by teams from across the country.
This year’s tournament has been sponsored by mobile telephone service provider Airtel and club secretary Paul Okong’o is confident the sponsorship boost will go a long way in ensuring that the biggest tournament ever hosted in Kisumu will be a success.
Western Kenya is believed to be the home of rugby and hence the name ‘Dala’ which is a Dholuo equivalent for home.
Kenya Harlequins have already set the pace for the circuit after winning their home title at the Christie Sevens on Saturday and will enter the tournament as favourites, having also won the pre-season warm up at the Masaku Sevens in Machakos.
Playing second fiddle
Quins head Pool ‘A’ which comprises Western Bulls, Kenyatta University’s Blak Blad and Catholic University.
Defending National Circuit champions Mwamba, who have been playing second fiddle to circuit leaders Quins, will be hoping to narrow the gap between them and Quins in the overall standings.
Mwamba, who head Pool ‘B,’ face stiff competition from Nakuru RFC, Nairobi University’s Mean Machine and the Kenya Polytechnic.
All teams in the pool have shown they can play some good rugby on a good day and it will not be a walk in the park for the overall champions.
Make fewer errors
Christie Sevens semi-finalists Kenya Commercial Bank head Pool ‘C’ alongside the hosts Kisumu, Eldoret and Stormers. KCB have proved in previous occasions that they are worthy of semi-finals place despite struggling to win any major tournament.
The Bankers do not have any spark that puts them above all the other clubs. At the same time, they make fewer errors that make them a relatively good side compared to the other teams.
The final top flight pool consists of Strathmore, Impala RFC, Homeboyz and Daystar University. Strathmore have always been a clinical side that can play well together when they are in their stride and hence they are force to look out for in Kisumu.
Absent from the draw is Nondies RFC, for which secretary Paul Okong’o confirmed that the white shirts had not confirmed participation by the time the draws were done.
