Oliver Mang’eni reflects on Rugby Super Series glory days

The much-anticipated Rugby Super Series made a remarkable comeback after a decade-long break.

The first round of the series took place on Saturday 3 May at the RFUEA Grounds with two matches on the card. The Lions took on the Rhinos while Cheetahs locked horns with Buffaloes.

Lions who were under the tutelage of former Kenya Simbas lock Oliver Mang’eni defeated Rhinos 29-7 while the Cheetahs outclassed Buffaloes 18-5.

The matches went on despite the muddy state of the Kenya Rugby Grounds. The low turnout of fans was also alarming.

Mozzart Sport caught up with Mang’eni who also played for Lions during his heydays leading them to two semifinals. In 2012, they defied the odds to the semis but went down 20-19 to Rhinos. The following year, they reached the semis under coach Paul Odera but were eliminated by Ndovu in the semifinals.

Reflecting on the difference between then and now, Mang’eni observed that a lot had changed.

During those days, the series had lots of sponsors, unlike today when they struggled to secure jersey sponsors. Lions donned in KCB Rugby jerseys while the Rhinos played with the Simbas’ red and black jerseys.

Mang’eni smiled as he explained how back then the Lions had UAP and KCB as their shirt sponsors while Bamburi came in as the title sponsors, adding cherry to the cake.

He emphasized the need for corporates to re-invest in sports to return the series back to its competitive days.

“When we were playing around 2010 to 2014, each franchise had more than three sponsors. Like when I played for the Lions, we used to call ourselves Papa in 2013; we had UAP, KCB, we had a lot of money then. But now we are struggling financially. I just want to call on these corporates to come and support the talents coming out,” he called on.

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At the same time, Mang’eni who retired from playing to take up full-time coaching was glad that he was impacting lives. The lineouts master noted that his aim was to transform his charges into internationally competitive players.

“My transition has been smooth thanks to my club. They looked at me and thought; this guy can help us move rugby to the next level and it has been good. My goal is to see the transformation of players; from what they are to bigger things,” he averred.

The Lions will face Cheetahs in the next series in Nakuru, and Mang’eni remained confident in his protégés' abilities. He has a wide pool of players to choose from and nothing can possibly stop him.

“We will review the footage and the Cheetahs', identify their weaknesses and see where to improve on our end. The whole team stood out but there are some players who outdid themselves like Felix Ojoo, Benjamin Ruger, Obat Kuke, and Bob Muhati,” he told Mozzart Sport.

Mang’eni has had a successful career as a rugby player; winning almost all titles a rugby player in the country could only dream of.

His glittering career also saw him travel all over the continent conquering African teams with the Kenya Simbas.

He then took up the role of lineout coach for his beloved KCB Rugby Club for the 2023/34 Kenya Cup season.