Nondies coach on how team self-sabotaged top four finish

Nondescripts RFC head coach Moses Wanyaga has admitted that his side’s inconsistent campaign forced them into a late scramble for the Kenya Cup playoffs, despite believing they had the quality to finish in the top four.

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The Red Lions confirmed their post-season place with a commanding 50-7 victory over MMUST in a rescheduled fixture, a result that lifted them from ninth to sixth on the standings.

The win kept alive a playoff push that had been complicated by a series of narrow defeats earlier in the season.

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“It was important for us to restore our confidence. We came out with a target to make it to the playoffs, we have achieved that, so it is very good for the boys, and hopefully it will set us up for a good month of April,” Wanyaga told Mozzart Sport.

Despite the emphatic nature of the result, the gaffer pointed to missed opportunities across the campaign as the main reason his side failed to secure a stronger position.

“It has been a difficult season. Lots of learning. We have lost games we should not have lost; we have come close to winning some big games,” he said.

Nondies suffered defeats in key matches, including a 36-12 loss to Kisumu RFC, a narrow 32-30 defeat to both Strathmore Leos and Nakuru RFC, a 23-18 loss to Blak Blad, coupled with a 17-13 defeat to Impala RFC.

They also fell short against top sides, losing 36-14 to KCB RFC and 25-8 to Kabras Rugby, though Wanyaga noted the performances showed progress against elite opposition.

“I can say we closed the gap in some areas, but we also let teams come at us,” he added.

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The coach was particularly critical of his team’s inability to manage games they were leading, highlighting specific matches that ultimately shaped their season.

“Right at the start with Nakuru, a game we controlled and led right from the beginning, yet we lost by around four or five points,” Wanyaga said.

“Losing to Strathmore. We have not lost to them in 15s for so many years, and also losing at home to Blak Blad. Those were three games where we were comfortably leading at halftime, but let them back in the second half,” he continued.

Those results, he noted, forced the team into a difficult position later in the season, having to chase points against stronger opposition.

“That is why I say it has been a difficult season. Games we should have won, and then we made it harder where now we had to chase against the big sides; Kabras, KCB, Oilers,” he said.

Wanyaga maintained that the team can compete at a higher level, but stressed the importance of mentality and consistency.

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“We have shown that we can be beatable, whereas we should be a top four side. We should believe that we are a top four side,” he offered.

Before the playoffs, Nondies will travel to Uganda for the Enterprise Cup semifinals, where they will take on Stanbic Bank Pirates on Saturday, 11 April.