KCB hand South Coast Pirates baptism of fire as rain soils Kabras' victory

Former Kenya Cup champions KCB Rugby sent a strong message following a resounding 95-5 victory over debutants South Coast Pirates in the opening match of the season played on Saturday 23 November in a muddy KCB Sports Club.

The Bankers outsmarted their opponents 15 tries to one in a match that left no doubt about their intentions this season.

In the opening minutes of the first half, the hosts wasted no time asserting their dominance, with Bob Muhati crossing the whitewash for the opening try which was converted by Isaac Njoroge.

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Speedster Jacob Ojee followed up with two consecutive tries, though Njoroge only converted the second.

Andycolle Omolo added another, with Njoroge maintaining his accuracy from the tee. The tries kept coming as Fidel Maina and Felix Ojow also dotted down, with Njoroge converting both to take the halftime score to an imposing 38-0.

The Bankers resumed the second half breathing fire, picking up from where they left off as Muhati scored his second try shortly after the restart. Njoroge’s magical boots added the extras.

Former captain Davies Chenge then joined the try-scoring spree, pushing the lead to 52-0.

Pirates finally found some joy through Collins Kabayo, who scored their only try of the match, but the conversion went wide.

KCB quickly responded with Austin Sikutwa intercepting in the Pirates' half and sprinting to score under the posts. Lionel Ajeliti converted the five-pointer to make it 59-5.

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A brief stoppage in play did little to disrupt KCB's momentum. After the Pirates came close to scoring but squandered their chance with a missed pass, KCB capitalized. From a scrum, Brian Wahinya powered over, and Ajeliti converted to extend the lead to 66-5.

Njoroge then added another try for the hosts, which Ajeliti converted before Emmanuel Opondo scored to bring the tally to 79-5. Pirates had a chance to add three points from a penalty but missed the attempt.

KCB capped off their dominant performance with two more tries, one from Wilfred Waswa off a lineout maul and another in the dying minutes, though both conversions went wide. The final whistle confirmed an emphatic 95-5 victory.

Meanwhile, Kenya Cup defending champions Kabras RFC picked a 33-6 win over Impala under torrential downpour at Kakamega Showground on Saturday evening.

The match had to be halted with almost 19 minutes to play following heavy rains that pounded in the second half. The regulations state that in a scenario where three-quarters of the match is played, the leading team earns the win.