Kabras headline teams set to take part in inaugural Victoria Cup rugby preseason tournament

Upto twelve teams drawn from the western part of the country are set to take part in the inaugural edition of the Victoria Cup rugby tournament that kicks off on Saturday where the clubs will have an opportunity to test themselves ahead of the respective 2022/2023 Kenya Rugby Union leagues that kick off on 26 November.

Among the teams that will take part in the competition include reigning Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup champions Kabras Sugar alongside top-flight side Masinde Muliro Univerisity of Science and Technology (MMUST) who will headline the competition.

The tournament will see four teams - Kabras, MMUST, University of Eldoret and Kisii – get byes to the quarter final stage while the remaining eight – Mbale, Vihiga Granite, Western Bulls, Bungoma, Kisumu, Siaya, Eldoret and Kitale – seeking to join the quartet by advancing past the pre-quarter final stage.

The Bullring Arena in Kakamega will host a double header that sees Mbale and Vihiga Granites face off in the early kickoff scheduled to start at 1400EAT before hosts Western Bulls play Bungoma in the second fixture at 1600EAT.

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In pre-quarterfinal three, Kisumu RFC will be up against Siaya at the Kisumu Polytechnic with Eldoret RFC squaring off against Kitale at the Eldoret Sports Club in the fourth quarter.

The quarterfinals will then be played at the Mamboleo Grounds in Kisumu on 29 October 2022.

Elsewhere, the draw for the Impala Floodlit tournament which kicks off on Saturday 29 October, will be conducted on Saturday 22 October at the Impala Club in Nairobi.

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The tournament, which was first played in 1983 returns for the first time since 2019, having not been played in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

22 teams will be battling it out for the throne, with the competition being used as the curtain raiser for the 15’s season with the Kenya Cup kicking off exactly two weeks after the Floodies final.

Pre-Quarterfinal Fixtures

Mbale vs Vihiga Granites - 2PM (Bull Ring Arena)

Western Bulls vs Bungoma - 4PM (Bull Ring Arena)

Kisumu vs Siaya - 4PM (Kisumu Polytechnic)

Eldoret vs Kitale - 4PM (Eldoret Sports Club)