John Wanga reveals Blak Blad's roadmap back to National 7s Circuit Division One
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 15.07.26. | 14:08
During the 2025 National Sevens Circuit, Blak Blad endured a rollercoaster campaign, finishing with just five points in the Division One standings
Kenyatta University's Blak Blad RFC assistant coach John Wanga has expressed confidence that the students have what it takes to secure promotion back to Division One of the National Sevens Circuit (NSC).
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Blak Blad will begin the 2026 National Sevens Circuit in Division Two following a turbulent 2025 campaign that saw them move between the two tiers. However, after an impressive third-place finish in the 2025/26 Kenya Cup, the university side is hoping to carry that momentum into the shortened version of the game when the circuit kicks off with the Prinsloo 7s in Nakuru on Saturday, 25 July.
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During the 2025 National Sevens Circuit, Blak Blad endured a rollercoaster campaign, finishing with just five points in the Division One standings. The poor run saw the students relegated to Division Two, where they were forced to fight for promotion during later legs of the circuit.
Their fortunes improved at the Prinsloo 7s, where they won the Division Two title after defeating Kabarak University in the final to earn promotion back to Division One. They were then handed a daunting Pool D assignment at the Christie 7s alongside eventual winners KCB Rugby, Mwamba RFC, and Nondescripts RFC.
This season, Wanga believes the lessons learned from that experience, coupled with the team's encouraging Kenya Cup campaign, have prepared Blak Blad for another shot at Division One.
"We want to play in Division One, and we start that journey here at the Ruff n Tuff and at the Juja 7s so that we can select the best squad for the National Sevens Circuit, who will give us an opportunity so that from Dala 7s we will play and stay in Division One," Wanga told Mozzart Sport.
"It is just polishing a few things, seeing what works, and seeing which players fit that model,” he said.
Ahead of the circuit, Blak Blad have used pre-season tournaments such as the Met 7s, Ruff n Tuff 7s, and Juja 7s to assess their squad, with Wanga revealing that the club intentionally rotated players to build depth before settling on the final travelling squad.
"It is all about boys who want to play the game. We are fortunate enough to have had a very big squad coming in from the 15s season, and very few injuries, so we have a lot of players who are available to play for us in the National 7s Circuit," he explained.
"We have a lot of young guys putting their hands up for National Sevens Circuit selection. We give gametime to players, but at the same time we want to go for competitions to stay competitive, not just to participate,” he continued.
Besides his role at Blak Blad, Wanga also serves as the assistant coach at Mang'u High School, giving him the unique responsibility of working with both school and university athletes.
The coach admitted the transition between the two environments requires a different approach, particularly in communication, but insists the fundamentals of coaching remain unchanged.
"It is very different. It is a different standard; older and more experienced athletes. But at the end of the day, it is just the same; they are all players who love the game and want to get better every day.
It is just changing the way you deliver the message as opposed to how you deliver it to teenagers; you deliver it differently to campus students,” he said.
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Blak Blad will open their National Sevens Circuit campaign in Division Two, where they will be aiming to secure promotion before the latter stages of the competition and remain in Division One for the remainder of the season.