Kenya Harlequins confident ahead of National 7s Circuit kickoff

Kenya Harlequins' fans can expect a marvelous 2024 National 7s Circuit from the side if coach Paul Murunga’s confidence is anything to go by.

Pau revealed that the Quins put in the ground work during the offseason, and are brimming with confidence as the 2024 National 7s Circuit gets underway this weekend.

Quins finished the 2023 circuit at position six with 76 points, an improvement from their 2022 performance where they were off to a poor seventh position with 68 points. Last season, they managed five quarterfinals, two semifinals, and a final appearance.

In a recent interview with Mozzart Sport, Pau expressed satisfaction with the squad's preparations, noting that they have ticked most of the boxes in terms of fitness, tactical awareness, and team cohesion.

“We have had a good preseason with the boys; close to eight weeks. They have been doing gym work and getting their fitness levels right on the pitch. The gym sessions were being done by Edward Shitanda and William Ambaka as gym coaches.

"On the field, we have been working with Simon Odongo, Eden Agero to make sure the team is well prepared to play 7s,” he offered.

Quins are the hosts of the Christie 7s and Pau was optimistic that an impressive performance in the home leg would set the pace for the circuit.

They will also be hoping to improve on their 2023 Christie 7s performance where they lost to Kabras RFC at the quarterfinal stage. They settled for sixth place after going down 14-7 to Mwamba RFC in the fifth-place playoff.

“We are looking forward to putting up a better performance considering that it is the first tournament and our home tournament. We have hit our target in terms of physical conditioning and getting proper gym work by our conditioning coaches. No injuries and the boys are ready to play,” he averred.

While the team had a shorter resting period due to the congested rugby calendar, the former Shujaa tactician was confident that they adjusted well to the shorter version of the game.

The players are coming from a longer 15s season which included the Kenya Cup, Rugby Super Series, and the Enterprise Cup.

“Straight from the 15s season, we have had enough weeks in terms of preparing the team though our season was a bit longer. We had a very short resting period then we embarked on serious preparation for 7s. The transition will be smooth because we had enough time to adjust from 15s to 7s,” the tactician disclosed.

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The inclusion of new young blood in the squad is also expected to add depth and competition to the squad, in turn boost performance.

“We got a few young players coming into the team. Young players from high schools, colleges, and universities. There are no big names coming from any other clubs. We still stick to the usual players that have been in the club in the first and second tournaments. Maybe later on, we could see if the young players are able to gel into the team and secure positions in the core team. As per now, the same players from 15s will turn up,” he averred.

While confident in his team's abilities, Pau remained cautious about the challenges posed by other clubs in the circuit. He acknowledged the competitive nature of the tournament and emphasized the importance of taking each match at a time.

“We will have a combination of big sides. Teams have been preparing well. We know Kabras, KCB, Oilers, Strathmore are tough sides. We expect tough competition but my players are upto task to make sure that if they have to win, they have to beat those teams,” he concluded.

The Quins have been placed in a tough Pool C that sees them tackle students; Strathmore Leos, Kenyatta University’s Blak Blad, and Daystar Falcons.

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