Blak Blad dream big ahead of 2023 National 7s Circuit

The students are oozing with confidence after an impressive run in the 2022/23 15s season.

Following a successful 15s season, Blak Blad RFC coach Benard Rotich is confident of his charges' abilities ahead of the 2023 National 7s Circuit.

The students narrowly missed the playoffs in the 2022/23 Kenya Cup season after finishing the campaign at position five with 34 points.

In the 2022 set piece, the Thika-Road based institution were off to a poor 15th position, with their highest performance being at Kabeberi 7s and Kakamega 7s where they got 7 points each.

According to Benard, the students will fight tooth and nail to improve on their performance and win at least a cup title.

"Like any other team, we aim at bettering our performance from last season. If a chance presents itself to win even one leg, we will not hesitate to pick it up," Benard told Mozzart Sport.

The coach also noted that the boys will be looking to duplicate the start of their 15s season where they won the majority of their matches to cement their impressive position. So fine was their form that they defeated Menengai Oilers 17-16 in their second game of the year.

"They are motivated and looking forward to putting in the effort and making their dream come true. Just like the 15s where we started conceiving early to almost attain our target," he said.

Coach Benard also opened up on the transfer of his key players; Lionel Ajeliti and Nick Okullo to KCB Rugby.

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While it was undoubtedly a loss for the side, he expressed belief that the move would provide them with a platform to develop their talents. Despite that, he was confident that the players left would step up to the fierce occasion.

"There is always time for everything so there is a time to move especially for Ajeliti who has cleared school. For Nick, I expected him to be there for one more season to at least clear school.

But for us, a gap is never left, it will be filled eventually. The ones that have remained will always step up to the occasion. We wish them all the best," he offered.

The gaffer also underscored the importance of financial assistance in bridging the gap left by the reduced government funding.

In November 2022, Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu said that the Kenyan government will no longer fund public universities and colleges, a move Benard said had a direct effect on the team.

CS Machogu urged the public institutions of higher learning to embrace research, innovation, and technology to generate their individual income since the State is on the verge of withdrawing its financial support.

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According to Benard, with a smaller or no budget, it was becoming increasingly challenging to provide the necessary training facilities, equipment, and support for the players. He appealed to interested sponsors and potential supporters to lend a hand.

"Due to the government's cutting expenditure on public universities, the school does not sponsor us, so when we have away matches players and some alumni have to sacrifice their money to honor the games. So, if there are sponsors or partners willing to help the team, we urge them to get on board," he appealed.

Ajeliti and Okullo are not the first pair to leave Blak Blad. They will join the duo of Levy Amunga and Brian Wahinya to further strengthen the Bankers.

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