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| Andrew Amonde, (right), makes a lateral pass as he is hit by South Africa’s Chris Dry during a Sevens Rugby World Series match in Las Vegas in February. [PHOTO:COURTESY] |
By BEN AHENDA and BS MULAVI
The national Rugby Sevens team will not take part in any international events after the conclusion of this weekend’s Safaricom Sevens.
Instead, Kenya Rugby Union has asked national team players to use the Safaricom Sevens as their training ground ahead of the IRB series which kicks off in two weeks time at the Gold Coast in Australia.
“Time left after the conclusion of the Safaricom Sevens will not be enough to involve the national team in any international asignments.
Players need time to rest before they flex their muscles when the eight-legged global series kick off,” said Kenya Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer Jack Okoth.
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The Safaricom rugby sevens tournament kicks-off on Friday with the schools and colleges championships.
Okoth said they are working on rehabilitating injured players in the provisional squad and at the same time strengthening and conditioning the rest.
The union has brought in two specialists who are working on the speed of players in readiness for the IRB series.
Kenya will field three teams in the Safaricom Sevens. The teams include the National Sevens side, the second string side Shujaa and Kenya Sevens Academy made up of Under 19 players.
Meanwhile, Kenya Commercial Bank head coach Curtis Olago is not worried about missing his national team players during this weekend’s Safaricom Sevens.
The reigning National Sevens circuit champions will be missing the services of Andrew Amonde, Philip Wamae, Darwin Mukidza, Fabian Olando and Jacob Ojee who will be playing for the national team at the tournament.
Speaking to FeverPitch, Olago said he has a squad big enough to be competitive at the games. “When we won the Driftwood Sevens in Mombasa we did not have all of our star players and we still lifted the trophy,” he said.
“I don’t see many changes in this situation, I have players like Edwin Salamba and Polycarp Odhiambo who are adequate cover for the team,” he explained. “Besides, we have already won the National Circuit and our aim now is win the Kenya Cup.”
“If we get to win the Safaricom Sevens, that is a plus for us because we love to win everything we play, but at the moment that is not a priority for us given we have our sights on the Kenya Cup.”
“The Safaricom Sevens will just serve as a tournament to give our players exposure for future top tournaments,” he added.
Olago adds to the number of coaches who are upset at the short notice given by the Kenya Rugby Union in the participation of the Safaricom Sevens.
Clubs had not been told at the beginning of the season that they would be taking part in the Safaricom Sevens tournament.
Strathmore RFC, who hinted at their withdrawal from the tournament, will instead play their second string side.
The top eight teams from the National Circuit will play at the games and teams that have confirmed their participation include Kenya Harlequin, Mwamba, Western Bulls and KCB. The three remaining teams include Impala, Homeboyz and Nakuru.
