Shujaa out to reclaim lost grip

[PHOTO: COURTESY]

Head coach Innocent Simiyu will be on the spotlight as Kenya takes on Argentina in the Sydney Sevens, the third leg of the 2017/2018 HSBC World Sevens Series, this morning.

Simiyu must summon wit and courage to ensure his side collects maximum points to perch in a top spot as the title chase shapes up.

The Kenyan charges, which comprises a mix of seasoned and young players, carry to the pitch their cup quarter final spot in Dubai, where they amassed 10 points to finish 13th before collecting a paltry three points to stand in 11th place with 13 points.

The squad has a mountain to climb in Sydney. The return of experienced Andrew Amonde, who missed the first two legs in Dubai and Cape Town after an injury ruled him out for several months, is instrumental in the Kenya versus Argentina match that kicks off at 11:06am.

Amonde would dovetail well with Dan Sikuta, Willy Ambaka and Eden Agero alongside Nakuru RFC flanker and captain Oscar Ouma, who will be assisted by Impala’s Samuel Oliech. Their wealthy experience is expected to slide Shujaa past knock out stages in Australia.

These five players are expected to blend well with the youngsters who just earned their call up to the National Sevens side.

The new players include Menengai Oilers’ Erick Ombasa, who will be making his maiden appearance in the national colours alongside his teammate Samuel Ng’ethe and Arthur Owira of KCB, who made their debut in the Cape Town Sevens.

Kenya is in Pool A alongside Argentina, France and Wales. The match against France is due at 7.25am tomorrow before winding up their tour Down South against Wales at 11.36am and the tournament’s knockout stages kick off on Sunday at 2.00am.