High expectations as Bamburi Rugby tourney set to kick off

By Bs Mulavi

There are huge expectations in this year’s Bamburi Rugby Super Series due to kick off this month.

Celebrating their 11th edition, the tournament has been revamped to keep it fresh and abreast with the times. For the first time in the tournament’s history, the teams have been given Swahili names and reconstituted to have different teams mainly based on the locations of the constituent clubs.

The most exciting franchise team is the Nyumbu side (Wild Beast). The team comprise of Ngong road sides Harlequin, Impala and Nondies, all former champions of the Kenya Cup. The three have been fierce rivals in various tournaments, but they will be forced to work together if they are to make an impact in the Super Series.

Even though the three teams are the most decorated in Kenya’s history, none made the top four of this year’s Kenya Cup league, which gives them the chance to prove that the Ngong road legacy is not over.

The second franchise side are the Papa (Shark) comprising of Kenya Commercial Bank, Mwamba RFC and Homeboyz RFC. They all finished the league in the top half, with KCB and Mwamba making it to the semi-finals. KCB have been known for their bulky pack, while Mwamba are known for their fluid backline players.

If the two can be joined together and gel, they will be serious contenders for the ultimate prize, given that they also have Homeboyz players at their disposal to fill in whatever slots have been left pending.

The third Kenyan team in the franchise will be Kengewa (Hawk) which will comprise of all the university sides. Strathmore University finished second in the Kenya Cup, and thus are bound to form the bulk of the team. Other universities that may feature will be Kenya Cup sides Mean Machine of the University of Nairobi and Blak Blad of Kenyatta University.

The fourth Kenyan side are Ndovu (Elephant), who, like their name, are expected to be heavyweights in the tournament. They will be marshaled by Kenya Cup champions Nakuru RFC flanked by Kitale and Eldoret sides. Nakuru not only had an impressive Kenya Cup campaign but they also narrowly lost in the finals of the Enterprise cup which gives them an edge of confidence in this year’s tournament.

The last two Kenyan sides will be regional franchises Kiboko (Hippo) and Mamba (Crocodile). These two franchises will comprise of teams from the coastal region and the western region. Meanwhile Uganda will provide two sides namely Rwenzori and Victoria.

Pool A:

Nyumbu, Papa, Victoria, Kiboko

 Pool B:

Ndovu, Rwenzori, Kengewa, Mamba.