T. NashipaeJawichre addresses challenges impacting CUEA Monks’ performance
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Reading Time: 4min | Sun. 27.08.23. | 16:45
CUEA Monks is a work in progress according to Jawichre
Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA) Monks’ head coach Simon Jawichre has provided an open assessment on the team’s rocky performance in the past four legs of the National 7s Circuit.
CUEA Monks have had a subdued display that saw them fluctuate between the Challenge Cup and the 13th place final in each of the four circuit legs.
They began their campaign with a Challenge Cup semi-final appearance at the Dala Sevens in Kisumu before clinching the Challenge Cup trophy at the Driftwood Sevens in Mombasa.
In Nakuru, the Monks fell at the semi-final stage of the Challenge Cup, losing 26-10 to Masinde Muliro before losing 21-12 to Homeboyz RFC in the final of the Challenge Cup at the Christie Sevens.
They currently sit 12th on the NSC log with 19 points, ahead of the two remaining legs at the Tisap Sevens and Kabeberi Sevens in Eldoret and Nairobi respectively.
In an exclusive with Mozzart Sport, Jawichre revealed that a significant factor behind the team’s lacklustre performance was the May to August semester break. During this period, many students from the team were at home for the holidays, leading to a shortage of players during crucial matches and training, ultimately affecting the team’s performance.
“We have tried to focus on particular areas but we have not been successful because some of our students are on holiday. May to August is also the semester where most students are away and it is difficult to keep them in school. We are really suffering in training because of numbers. With students moving in and out, it is difficult to maintain the expectations. We make it a group thing, and their responsibility to make it to their objectives and their mindsets remain positive towards the results,” he offered.
The coach further noted that the team failed to achieve their goal of advancing to the main cup quarterfinals throughout the previous legs. Despite that, he recognized his charges’ efforts and hard work while also acknowledging the competitive nature of the circuit.
“We have had a good performance but we have not met any of our objectives this year. Our main aim was to qualify for at least one quarterfinal but we have not achieved it yet. We are surviving but we are still aiming to meet our objective of the main cup quarters,” he told Mozzart Sport.
Praising his team for their exceptional quality of play, the coach pointed out that one challenge was their relatively small physical statures compared to some of the opponents. Despite that, he noted that working on their strongholds would help them remain competitive.
“We play well, quality is there, but our body sizes are small, so we have to come up with a game plan that suits our body size. We have pivot players. We do not call them finished products because they have room for improvement, but I would pick one key player who is out on injury; Erick Oguto,” he explained.
Heading to Tisap 7s, the Monks have been placed in a tricky pool B that sees them square out with their fellow students Strathmore Leos, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, and Menengai Oilers.
This will be a repeat of the Driftwood 7s pool C where the CUEA Monks failed to sparkle. They lost to Strathmore Leos (17-0), Menengai Oilers (19-12), and MMUST (21-5).
The coach noted that their primary rivals were other varsity sides. He also mentioned that the Oilers joined the rivals’ list by virtue of pooling. This will be the fourth time CUEA Monks and Oilers will be meeting in a pool. They have shared a pool in all past legs, except Christie 7s.
“We package our main rivals as other universities. That is where we put our main challenge. We want to compete harder against other universities. Now, we have to force ourselves to say that the Oilers are our rivals,” he revealed.
Jawichre also expressed gratitude to the Monks’ fans, noting that the motivation propelled them to achieve more.
CUEA Monks were promoted to the Kenya Cup side in 2022. They finished 10th on the log with 14 points. They will be using this battle as a springboard to the direction they are headed.
“On behalf of the team, thank you for being there. It is really a privilege to see that we have genuine supporters. You really close the gap at times we are down. We are out here fighting. The sky is not the limit and we will give them the best we can. We will not let them down,” he offered.
The CUEA Sports Complex has moulded pivot players like KCB Rugby backrower Peter Waitere and the late James Kilonzo. Talented Menengai Oilers’ scrum half Samson Onsomu had a short stint here as well.
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