Nakuru RFC seek to tame Bulls as they chase play-offs spot

Hanington Wabwire (left) of Top Fry Nakuru RFC battles for the ball with Peter Kilonzo of KCB during the Kenya Cup match at Nakuru Athletics club on February 15, 2020. [Kipsang Joseph/Standard]

Nakuru RFC will be leaving nothing to chance when they host Western Bulls in their final match of the Kenya Cup league phase at the Nakuru Athletic Club today.

Nakuru’s mission of reaching the playoffs was complicated following the 33-12 loss to Kenya Harlequin in Nairobi last weekend, a result which left the two-time Kenya Cup winners in seventh position with 33 points, three below the top six.

Felix Oloo’s charges will be going for maximum points against a Bulls team that will be playing for nothing but pride after their relegation to the second tier was confirmed on match day 15.

Nonetheless, a win against the Kakamega-based outfit might not be enough to do the trick for Nakuru unless either Mwamba or Menengai Oilers falter in their fixtures against Nondescripts and Quins respectively.

Mwamba, fifth with 38 points, will need only one point when they make the short trip to the Jamhuri Showground to face an off-colour Nondies team that has managed only four wins the whole season.

“We definitely want to finish on a high. There are some structures we have been working on for the past two weeks and we are just going to sharpen up on our style and try to execute well when we face Nondies,” Mwamba coach Kevin Wambua said.

He urged his charges to utilise their chances after missing a host of try-scoring opportunities in their 15-11 win over Impala Saracens. Oilers, who are sixth with 36 points, also have their fate in their hands as they will have to beat Quins at home in order to seal a playoffs slot at the second time of asking.

A loss against the Ngong Road-based side, who are on the back of two successive wins, could prove costly for Oilers if their cross-town neighbours Nakuru RFC register a win. At the same time, a top-of-the table clash will see third-placed Homeboyz host defending champions KCB.

The bankers, alongside league leaders Kabras Sugar, are assured of finishing in the top two and they will be exempted from the playoffs thus receive byes to the semi-finals.

Today’s 4pm contest promises to be a tight affair if the first leg meeting between KCB and Homeboyz is anything to go by. In the reverse fixture, the Deejays put up a spirited fight in Ruaraka but they were undone in the latter stages of the match as they ended up losing 27-24.

Another relegated side Kisumu RFC will be away to Impala Saracens in a match that will be used by both teams to commemorate the late Richard Sidindi who played for both clubs.