Rugby Tour: Shamas lads win trophies in UK tour

Kenyan High Commissioner to UK, Lazarus Amayo, with the Shamas rugby team at the Kenyan Mission.

Shamas, a Kenyan junior rugby team touring UK, won their first two games against Oratory Prep and against the host school Moulsford. Will Ferguson, who is leading the lads, said the Kenyan boys were so welcome that the losing teams cheered Kenyans.

On Wednesday, the boys entered Wellington College Prep Schools tournament contested by the best 10 schools in the area. Shamas played very well winning two and narrowly losing two to more physical teams.

“Throughout the group stage, all the teams were worried about playing Shamas due to our physical tackling. We made it through to the semi-finals in the Bowl and beat Moulsford for a second time in a week and then scored two tries and held on in the final against Kings College.

The rugby lads went to the UK on November 20 for a 10-day tour.

“The tour has gone better than imagined. First, the boys have been made to feel so welcome by all the boys and staff at the school, with many teachers highly impressed by the academic potential of the boys and their ability to learn new things fast.

“The boys have really enjoyed the interactive style of the lessons and they have made friends across the whole school,” said Ferguson.

The rugby has also been very impressive with many of the boys stepping up to the challenge of the cold weather. Many of the sports teachers and parents have been impressed with some of the rugby talent on display, in particular our aggressive tackling and running with the ball.

Shamas won the Bowl which is a remarkable achievement considering they had only played three 15-a-side matches before arriving in England. Shamas played eight matches on tour, winning six and losing only two and coming away with some silverware at Wellington.

On Friday, the boy’s visited the Kenyan Embassy in London and met The High Commissioner, Lazarus Amayo, who encouraged them to work hard and represent Kenya in all that they do.

“The real success of the tour has been the relationships between the children and their English host families,” said Ferguson.