Derick Mbaire (left) of Menengai Oilers battles for the ball with Jacob Ojee (right) of KCB during the Kenya cup match at Nakuru ASK Show ground on November 16, 2019.Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard
Five points and the top spot on the Kenya Cup standings will be at stake as Kabras Sugar travel to Nairobi to face champions KCB in around six fixture today.
The sides head to the match at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka on the back of identical records thus far having won their first five matches with bonus points.
However, it is the sugar millers who sit at the top of the standings due to their superior point difference.
While Kabras, under the tutelage of South African Henly Du Plessis (pictured), has been blowing away opponents for fun, the bankers have at times been forced to dig deep, case in point when they rallied from a six-point halftime deficit to edge out fourth-placed Homeboyz 26-24 last weekend.
KCB has a psychological edge in today’s tie as they have never lost to Kabras in all their 10 Kenya Cup meetings including four finals, but Du Plessis believes that statistic will count for nothing after the kick-off whistle is blown at 4 pm.
Kabras RFC coach Henley Du Plessis. [Washington Onyango,Standard]
“Every game is a new chapter and we need to continue with our momentum even if we have never beaten them (KCB).
“The good thing is that we can score tries and we have also improved on our defence which let us down the last time we met,” Du Plessis told Standard Sports earlier this week.
“KCB have the best line-out in the league but they are slightly vulnerable so we shall try to upset them and force them into mistakes,” he said.
Du Plessis’ side is the best defensively in the division having let in only two tries and both of them were conceded in the second half of their matchday four win at Nondescript.
The match could go a long way in determining who finishes top during the regular season and ultimately receiving the chance to host the final next year.
Kabras’ best showing in this fixture, which has steadily grown to become one of the most talked-about rivalries, was a 15-15 draw at the Kakamega Showground in 2016, two years after the Kakamega outfit was promoted to the top tier.
The teams last clashed in the final of the 2018-19 Kenya Cup in May with KCB claiming a come-from-behind 23-15 win on their way to a seventh Kenya Cup title.
