Tough test for Kenya as 7s team face former coach Mike Friday
Rugby
By
BS Mulavi
| Mar 27, 2015
Expectations are high as the Kenya National Sevens team kick off their Hong Kong Sevens campaign today with a clash against USA.
Head coach Felix Ochieng has claimed the team is looking forward to the tournament.
"We are fully aware of our fans' and sponsors' expectations. We must be consistent, improve on the log and avoid flirting with relegation," he revealed.
"USA is a different team, but we are working hard to ensure the boys are mentally and tactically ready to deliver. When the players take to the pitch in Hong Kong, you'll see the passion and commitment," he added.
Former Kenya coach Mike Friday is currently in charge of the USA team. During his tenure in Kenya, Ochieng was his understudy. Both men are conversant of each others skills and capabilities and this will be the first time the two meet on the opposite sides of the pitch.
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Friday might have a slight edge over Ochieng, given that he personally knows all the players in the current squad and is likely to try and exploit some of the weaknesses he noted while he was still an insider.
Kenya is currently the lowest-ranked team in the group, which also has England and Wales. Kenya are 12th in the overall standings with 29 points, Wales are just one place above them with 32 points, USA are seventh with 51 points while England are fifth with 68 points.
Being the lowest ranked, USA will try to ensure that they win this game to boost their chances of making it to the quarter-finals, whereas Kenya will be fancying their chances against USA and Wales in order to qualify, with England looking like a tough prospect.
In order to achieve success over USA, the team will have to look past their history with Mike Friday and focus entirely on the game.
Captain Andrew Amonde echoed this point, saying: "We will play USA as a team and not as Friday. It will be an exciting match. They have a good team at the moment and we expect them to give us stiff competition. But our aim is to perform better."
This will be the only game for Kenya on the first day, with the other group matches scheduled for Saturday.
Meanwhile England will play Wales for the other group match of the day.
The Kenyan squad can be considered the strongest squad that they have travelled with in the past 12 months, with Kenya's arguably best player Humphrey Kayange back to the fray alongside his brother Collins Injera.
Should Kayange play at just 75 per cent, given that he is from injury, Injera get his usual game and Lavin Asego show the form he did in the past two legs, then the opponents will be up for a rough ride.