Rugby: Ayimba attributes Shujaa struggles to poor preparations

Kenya rugby sevens headcoach Benjamin Ayimba

Former national Sevens coach Benjamin Ayimba says poor preparations caused Kenya's underwhelming outing at the opening round of the 2018-19 World Sevens Series in Dubai.

Shujaa, eighth-place finishers at the end of last season, put up a dismal show over the weekend when they lost all matches to eventually finish last in the 16-team tournament. 

"We had a problem from the onset. We appointed the coach too late and the preparations have been shambolic.The team lost the strength and conditioning trainer who has not been replaced," Ayimba told Game yetu.

The Kenya Harlequin assistant coach is critical of Kenya's decision to send key Sevens players to the 2019 Rugby World Cup Repechage, locking them out of the season-opening leg in Dubai.

"We sent key players to France even though it was clear we had no chance of qualifying to the World Cup. Unfortunately most of us did not expect the team to perform well in Dubai," said Ayimba.

Ayimba, who was at the helm when Shujaa won a historic Cup title at the 2016 Singapore Sevens, wants the seasoned players re-called.

"The more experienced boys must come back and if we have to introduce new faces, it has to be very systematic. It can't be as erratic," Ayimba added.