READY FOR SCRUM DOWN: Kenya Cup rugby action resumes as teams plot to counter Nakuru juggernaut
Rugby
By
BS MULAVI
| Jan 10, 2015
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| KCB's Dennis Mwanja face on with Nakuru Top Fry's Philip Kwame during their Kenya Cup final match at KRU Grounds on 17-05-2014.PHOTO/DENNIS OKEYO |
Kenya Cup defending champions Nakuru RFC are preparing for a tough second half of the season as the competition resumes today.
Before the Christmas break, Nakuru, popularly known as ‘Wanyore’, had played teams in the bottom half of the table and are now poised to meet the other half of the teams, as play resumes in venues across the country.
Nakuru’s first match this year will be a grueling duel against Western Bulls at the Nakuru Athletics Club.
Speaking to Feverpitch ahead of the match, Nakuru's head coach Dominique Habimana acknowledged it will be a tougher run of games this half of the season. “We know the games are only going to get harder as we progress, but it is our duty to win all of them in order to retain our title,” he said.
Nakuru won all their games before the Christmas break, but have found themselves second in the table after they failed to get a bonus point against Kabras in the second match of the Kenya Cup.
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Strathmore occupy top position with maximum points from all their games. “We are not at top position, but we also not too badly off,” Habimana explained.
“We are yet to lose and we are in a good position to qualify for the semi-finals, which is where we want to be,” he added.
Habimana feels teams are bound to slip in this second half of the season, but the side with most consistency will carry the day.
“We need to keep playing as a team and try to use our depth to our advantage, this league will be won by the team that can get the best out of their players,” he added. Habimana went on to add that the league can be ruthless and anything short of victory can be detrimental.
In other fixtures of the day, league leaders Strathmore will face a challenging encounter against fourth-ranked Mwamba, who are having a good season.
The black shirts have had a string of good results and look like a contender for the semi-final slot.
Third-placed Kenya Commercial Bank open their campaign with a home fixture against Nondies RFC, who have on many occasions, proved they can beat any big team, but are, however, haunted by a run of inconsistency when it matters.