Kenya miss the plate: Fiji exploit chinks in Sevens team defence at Gold Coast

By BS MULAVI

Fiji’s Waisea Nacuqu beats the tackle of Kenya player Sidney Ashioya during the Plate final at the IRB Sevens rugby tournament in Gold Coast, Australia. [PHOTO:AFP]

Fiji left Kenya defence exposed as they routed the Sevens team 36-0 in Plate finals as the curtains came down on the first leg of the International Rugby Board (IRB) World Series in Gold Coast, Australia on Sunday.

 “It was good that the Kenyan defence were very passive, so all we had to do was to be patient and the holes would eventually emerge,” said Fijian Coach Ben Ryan.

These summed up Kenya’s performance in the first tournament of the IRB where the national team came out with 12 points, which puts them in sixth position in the overall standings.

Kenya’s dearth in consistence surfaced again as proof of their frailties in defence. When Kenya had the ball in hand, they flourished as displayed in their massive victories against USA and Tonga. However, the moment they lost possession, the team struggled immensely as potrayed in their losses against New Zealand, Australia and Fiji.

When it came to defence, Kenya failed to press their opponents, which gave the opponents a chance to switch the game and prod holes in the backline, which eventually caved in. One-on-one tackles, saw Kenya fail to put in aggressive gear that pushed the opponent back and deny them the front foot.

Defence line

For team defence, Kenya lost its structure in the back lines, with opponents getting an opportunity to side step their men and aim for the inside shoulder of the catch-up defender.

With these frailties Kenya simply could not keep up with the top five sides in the tournament and they will have to work extra hard ahead of Dubai leg on November 29.

Even though Kenya can work extra hard to retain possession so that they don’t have to defend us much, they still need to up their defencive play.

Kenya struggled considerably to retain possession against New Zealand, Australia and Fiji, which are the teams that put pressure on side’s rucks and put in solid tackles to any of our attacking players. To elevate their defensive play Kenya will have to work extra hard in strength and conditioning, which is to be followed-up with training on tackling technique.

Dubai challenge

Kenya has an uphill task in Dubai, where they have been pooled against the overall defending champions New Zealand, France and Portugal.

By then Kenya should have settled any issue on the management of the team, so that interim coach Felix Ochieng can either fully concentrate on the side or know if there will be another coach who will take up the side. The Dubai leg will be followed closely a week later by the South Africa leg of the circuit.

Meanwhile, debutant Ambrose Curtis scored two tries as New Zealand came from behind to win the Gold Coast Sevens crown, beating hosts Australia 40-19 in the final to get the defence of their IRB Sevens World Series title off to a flying start.

Trailing 12-0, it looked as though New Zealand could be set for a third successive Cup final defeat at Skilled Park, but Curtis double try, Tomasi Cama, David Raikuna, Waisake Naholo and Joe Webber ensured the win against a tiring Australia.

The hosts were made to work hard in a breathless semi final, eventually coming out 24-19 victors thanks to a Jesse Parahi try deep into the second half of sudden-death extra time.      

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