Patrice Agunda opens up on Kenya Harlequins' turbulent National 7s Circuit season
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 13.09.25. | 14:35
Their campaign has been marked by inconsistency, with only one semifinal and three quarterfinal appearances across the five legs played
Reigning National Sevens Circuit champions Kenya Harlequins’ title defence has been anything but smooth this year.
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With one leg left to play, Quins sit fifth on the standings with 57 points, trailing log leaders KCB Rugby by a massive 38 points.
Their campaign has been marked by inconsistency, with only one semifinal and three quarterfinal appearances across the five legs played.
At the Driftwood 7s, Quins narrowly fell to Nakuru RFC in the quarters before losing to Menengai Oilers in the fifth-place playoff, finishing sixth.
The trend continued at the Prinsloo 7s, where they were knocked out in the quarters by Strathmore Leos, and again lost to Nakuru in the fifth-place playoff to settle for sixth.
A better outing came during the 2025 Christie Sevens on home soil, where Quins reached the semifinals but narrowly lost 19-21 to KCB.
They would, however, miss out on a podium place after falling to Strathmore Leos in the third-place playoff.
At the Embu 7s, Quins once again bowed out in the quarterfinals, eventually finishing fifth after a playoff defeat to Kabras Sugar.
Their lowest moment, however, came at the Kabeberi 7s, where they failed to make it past the group stage and settled for 11th with just five points.
The tournament was marred by internal issues, as senior players allegedly sat out due to unpaid allowances, showing up only in casual attire.
Mozzart Sport caught up with the team’s coach, Patrice Agunda, who admitted that the team’s performance this season has not gone according to plan.
“It’s been interesting. We did the best preparations that we could. The results have not turned out the way we wanted them to go, but we are just pushing on to see what good will come out of it,” Agunda said.
The former Kenya Sevens forward further revealed that the team’s initial goal was to retain the circuit title while making at least a semifinal appearance in every leg. With that target unmet, he now views the challenge differently.
“Pressure is a privilege. At times we will get it, at times we don’t, but it does not mean that we haven’t achieved our objectives. It’s a question of how we can get better. That’s how we look at it,” the optimistic tactician offered.
Agunda pointed to inconsistency as the main weakness in Quins’ campaign.
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“We have not been consistent in how we play the game and what works best for us: playing with the ball from end to end, keeping and retaining the ball, defending how we know best, and being aggressive in our line speed.
We have let ourselves down in those aspects of the game. We just try to be consistent,” he opened up.
With KCB and Kabras firmly in the driver’s seat, Agunda admitted that his charges are out of the title race.
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“Looking at it, if we got to the finals at Christies, perhaps we’d still be in contention. But that doesn’t mean that because we will not retain our title, we will not play. We always put in our best,” he averred.
Looking ahead to the Dala 7s, Quins find themselves in Pool B alongside Daystar Falcons, Mombasa RFC, and Nondies RFC. They will be out to end their campaign on a high.
