Rugby Super Series to inject new energy into the Kenyan rugby scene
Reading Time: 4min | Tue. 19.03.24. | 10:32
The tournament that launched recently will run over the weekends in May
Rugby fans have all the reasons to smile after the recent announcement of the return of the much-anticipated Rugby Super Series.
The Super Series tournament which started in 2003 is set to resume in May this year after the 11-year break to catapult the 15’s game to greater heights.
The much-anticipated event was officially launched on Friday, 15 March at the RFUEA Grounds.
What does this mean to the rugby stakeholders?
The return of the series means more for both players and fans. In the past, the season was ending in April and fans and players had to wait till June when the 7s series kicks off. This time around, we are expected to have the Enterprise Cup, Mwamba Cup, and now the Super Series. It is action-packed.
What is even more captivating is that it will be played in different venues. Die-hard fanatics will get the opportunity to travel across the country to witness the matches. They will also generate revenues for the Kenya Rugby Union through entry fees and other fees around the events.
The series is also expected to help coaches build a formidable Kenya Simbas squad. The players will be selected from the Kenya Cup teams in different regions, offering coaches the perfect platform to pick players for the national team. Players from different teams will also gel, and learn more from each other, something expected to strengthen the team even more.
For instance, in the past editions, the best players from the series formed a team that went ahead to play the Vodacom Cup in South Africa.
Team Kenya for the Vodacom Cup was called Tusker Simba. They were placed in the Southern section and based in Cape Town. The team was sponsored to the tune of Ksh 75 million by East Africa Breweries. In the end, Kenya finished with one win and six losses.
The performance was better than Namibia who did not win any games when they last played in the Vodacom Cup in 2011. It was a creditable performance and a good experience. The Vodacom Cup was the third most prestigious tournament in South Africa and featured past and potential Springbok players.
Years later, The Simbas lost 36-0 to Namibia during the 2022 Rugby Africa Cup finals played in France, a tournament where the winner was guaranteed a direct ticket to the 2023 World Cup.
They would then drop to the repechage tournament where they had to defeat the USA, Portugal, and Hong Kong in a round-robin format in Dubai. They lost to the USA (68-14), Portugal (85-0), and Hong Kong (42-14).
“These are exciting times to be a rugby fan. The return of the series will be a game-changer in the 15s version of the game. I cannot wait!” Dave Mwaura, a rugby fan told Mozzart Sport.
“The series has come at the right time. Our 15s side is performing poorer than our 7s side. This series will create a balance, and uplift our Simbas too,” Leah Njeri offered.
Changes to this year’s edition
What makes this year’s edition even more unique is that it will involve the women’s category.
Both women’s matches will take place in Nairobi with the winners determined by the aggregate score over two games.
The men’s Format will feature each team facing the other three over the first three match days with the top two meeting in the final on match day four and the other two squaring it off to determine the last two places.
The tournament will feature four men's and two women's teams, each representing the Kenya Cup clubs for the men while the women will be part of the National Lionesses’ squad.
The 2024 series will take place on four Saturdays on the 4th,11th,18th, and 25th of May with matches scheduled to be held in Nairobi on the first and last weekends and in Nakuru & Kakamega in between.
RSS history
The Super Series tournament which started in 2003 with five Kenya franchise teams namely— the Lions, Rhinos, Sharks, Cheetahs, and Buffaloes attracted the country’s top 100 players from various clubs.
The Lions consisted of players from KCB, Mwamba, and Mombasa Sports Club while the Rhinos had players from Quins and Nakuru. Impala and Nondies made up the Cheetahs franchise.
The Sharks consisted of players from Mean Machine, Strathmore, and Mombasa Polytechnic.
In 2007, the tournament made an expansion as it now included Uganda and Tanzania. Uganda was represented by Rwenzori, and Victoria while Tanzania had Twiga.
The Rhinos were the most successful side in the Super Series, winning the title four times. The Cheetahs won it twice with Buffaloes and Lions winning it once each.
May 4, 2024 – KCB Sports Club, Ruaraka
Noon – Eagles vs Jaguars (Women)
2 pm – Lions vs Rhinos
4 pm – Buffaloes vs Cheetahs
May 11, 2024 - Nakuru Athletic Club
2 pm – Lions vs Cheetahs
4 pm – Buffaloes vs Rhinos
May 18, 2024 – Bull Ring, Kakamega
2 pm – Lions vs Cheetahs
4 pm – Buffaloes vs Rhinos
May 25, 2024 – RFUEA Grounds, Nairobi
Noon – Jaguars vs Eagles (Women)
2 pm – Rank 3 vs Rank 4
4 pm – Rank 1 vs Rank 2
