T. NashipaeHow Koyonzo stormed to KSSSA rugby sevens victory
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Reading Time: 4min | Sat. 19.08.23. | 10:24
The Stormers are currently in Huye, Rwanda, for the FEASSSA games
It was an all-Western region affair in the Kenya Secondary Sports Association (KSSSA) rugby games final as, Kakamega County champions Koyonzo Boys and Vihiga Boys clashed.
A last minute try by the in-form fly-half Jackson Siketa sealed the win for the Stormers for a 22-12 full time score aat the Western Bulls' Bull Ring grounds.
The national finals were a repeat of the Western region finals between the two sides that ended in a 17-7 score in favour of Koyonzo at the same venue.
The win saw Stormers retain the title they first won in Nakuru last year after a 31-0 win over Butula Boys.
Koyonzo had a tenacious defence and well-coordinated attacks at the nationals stage, and will be looking forward to replicating the same in the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) rugby sevens.
The two teams were joined by St. Mary’s Yala and Kitondo School from Nyanza and Eastern regions respectively.
To uncover the elements that propelled the Stormers to their current rugby glory, Mozzart Sport caught up with Koyonzo director of rugby Oscar Okaron, as well as the coaches Elly Okwemba and Fidel Nyota.
Okaron said, starting the boy’s young made all the difference. The AP Warriors coach revealed that, he introduced most of the boys to rugby back in 2014 during his heydays as Kabras RFC scrum half.
“We started the kids young, in form one by scouting age grade kids. We have been trying to cover everything a player needs from psychological aspects of the game, as well as essential skills. That, as a result, helps us to develop a strong overall Koyonzo Player which is an element of our success,” the eloquent Okaron revealed.
Okaron, further, explained that to emerge as the best rugby sevens high school team in the country, they worked on instilling emotional composure within the boys, in addition to teamwork and physicality.
“With form one and two’s, we stress on the importance of sportsmanship, respect for the game, and respect for the opponents. Perhaps above all it teaches that the team is important. We also emphasize how players react and how they execute their skills under pressure, a very important aspect.
The team spirit and the history of success produces a kind of identity around the team. Stormers exude a feeling of strength even before they set foot on the field which Kakamega used to have, ” Okaron offered.
He also noted that this year, their training was more professional as compared to previous years. Only Lenana High School and St Mary’s Yala managed to score tries against the Stormers.
Koyonzo kicked off their pool matches campaign with a 19-0 triumph over Bwake before hitting Shimba Hills 36-0. They then saw off Alliance High 32-0 to finish their pool matches on a high.
They then defeated Lenana High School 36-5 in the quarterfinals before seeing off Kitondo High 33-0 in the semis. At the finals stage, the determined Stormers defeated St Mary’s Yala 22-12 to cap their unbeaten run.
“We narrowed down to every detail from conditioning to basics and emphasized on them. We strategized the use of two wingers that really worked for us from the Counties to the nationals,” he noted.
For Okaron, what heightened the Stormers’ coordination on the pitch was the character and discipline brought by the rigorous training and school routine. He noted that the boys understood the consequences of making any mistakes in the shorter version of the game.
“We learnt the hard way as there was no time for development. Every error had consequences that we used as an advantage of conditioning without knowing. As they say no pain no gain,” he told Mozzart Sport.
He further commended his charges for the efforts during the regional games. Despite lacking their key players due to injuries, they still managed to lift the Western Region rugby sevens title.
“We played regionals with a 9-man squad instead of 12 due to injuries. But what motivated us most is if we won the western regionals then we can win the Nationals and FEASSSA games. Another challenge was we lost two key players who were poached to our opponents Vihiga,” Okaron disclosed.
Koyonzo have been placed in Pool A of the Federation of East African Secondary Schools Sports Associations (FEASSA) rugby sevens games alongside Kitondo High School, Kiira College, and London College of Uganda.
Speaking on the pools, head coach Okwemba said that they expect worthy competition from the rest of the champions in the pool.
“Anybody at the East African level is a champion, we don't undermine any team. We will be taking one game at a time,” he noted.
Okwemba, also gave a sneak peak inside the boys’ preparation in Rwanda ahead of the matches’ kickoff.
“The team is in good spirits given that we are at our target level. The motivating thing is winning the East African championship. We wish to thank the county government of Kakamega, the KSSSA officials, my county, and sub county officials for their support. Equally, I acknowledge the support of school principal Mr Solomon Sisuma,” he concluded.
Kenya’s other representatives Vihiga High and St Mary’s Yala are in Pool ‘B’ alongside Jinja Senior School, Makerere College and Rwanda’s GS Gitisi.
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