T. NashipaeAmonde: Main problem facing Shujaa is lack of support
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Reading Time: 3min | Fri. 21.04.23. | 17:27
Shujaa are currently flirting with relegation
Former Kenya 7s Captain and KCB Rugby player Andrew Amonde has called for support for Kenya 7s amidst their battle with relegation.
Shujaa still sits 13th on the log with 37 points with only two legs left in the 2023 HSBC World 7s series. The Kenya 7s finished 10th in the Singapore 7s amassing 7 points. This performance was an improvement from the Hong Kong series where they picked only a point.
However, as it stands, the regulations will see Damian Mc Grath’s charges take part in the newly formed challenger series. The teams ranked 12th, 13th, and 14th at the end of Toulouse will enter a four-team relegation playoff together with the Challenger Series 2023 winners at the eleventh and final round of the series in London.
“We still have a team but are struggling to keep up. If we can support them because whatever work they are putting in is not easy. If we are able to assist them, they can do better than the teams we see on television. Assistance like sponsorship, and equipment for training, we do not have the best equipment. Even if you come to the gym where our national team prepares, it is not the best. So, if the government, sponsors, and well-wishers can come through to support, Kenya 7s can be the best team,” Amonde urged.
The former Kenya 7s skipper joined the Shujaa technical bench for the final two tournaments of the World 7s Series; Toulouse and London. He was selected alongside Eden Agero.
His statement was echoed by Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Chairman Sasha Mutai who noted that the current main hindrance for Kenya Rugby is financial resources. He however assured that plans were in place to attract financiers, including utilizing the existing tax law.
“The main problem is financial resources. We have human resources, but financial resources, whether it is from schools to clubs to national teams that is the basic problem. The plan is to get back the confidence of our partners, and that we have started doing. There are previous ones and new ones that are coming in,"
"We are also going to use the tax law that is there that is actually very specific for Kenya right now and in the African continent where you put in money into sports sponsorships, which can be fully deducted but based on a number of paperwork that we are going to do. We have nominated on to the board a guy called Kairo Thuo who is the director of VIVA Africa who is a corporate trigger,” Mutai said.
Prior to the next leg, Mutai said that Shujaa will go to a camp in South Africa to train and prepare themselves mentally for the Toulouse 7s. This is the most crucial leg as it will determine whether Shujaa will survive or not.
Currently, the side sits 12 points away from safety. According to World Rugby, the winner of any leg in the HSBC Series gets 22 points with the runner-up getting 19. Position three gets 17, fourth gets 15, fifth gets 12, and sixth gets 10. This means that for Shujaa to survive relegation, they will need to finish fifth or higher in the remaining two legs.
They have been placed in Pool A alongside Canada, Uruguay, and New Zealand. The boys will have to place themselves in the main cup quarter-finals in France next month. That means they will have to win at least two of their pool matches in Toulouse to retain the top two positions in Pool A. Following this, they will need to either proceed to the semis or finals or at least win the 5th place final at that stage.
They will also hope that their counterparts Spain and Uruguay fail. Uruguay is placed 11th on the log with 49 points, followed by Spain with 48 points and Kenya follows with 37 points.
