Tisap 7s: Big names fail to impress in opening round

Bigwigs were off to not-so-good performances in the opening round of the Tisap 7s that is ongoing at the Eldoret Sports Club. The circuit is making a comeback to Eldoret for the first time since 2018 when Kabeberi 7s was played.

Pool A

Fresh from winning the 2023 Christie 7s title, KCB Rugby humbled Homeboyz RFC 33-5 in the second pool A match. The Bankers were missing the services of key players like Elvis Olukusi and Samuel Asati who are training with Shujaa. Despite that, they were looking to bridge the gap between them and log leaders Kabras RFC.

The Andrew Amonde-coached side will play against Mombasa RFC in the second pool match.

Mombasa RFC failed to make a run for their money after falling 17-7 to spirited Kenyatta University’s Blak Blad RFC. The students were looking to build on their Christie 7s performance where they qualified for the quarterfinal stage but went down to Nakuru RFC.

Blak Blad will tackle Homeboyz RFC in their next pool match.

Pool B

In this pool, spirited Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) rugby team narrowly defeated National 7s Circuit defending champions Menengai Oilers 14-12 in the opening match.

Christie 7s finalists Strathmore Leos kicked the circuit on the wrong footing, suffering a 12-5 defeat in the hands of CUEA Monks. Leos were not the only team to suffer defeats in the opening round.

Pool C

Kisumu RFC also defeated Kenya Harlequins 12-5 in the second Pool B match.

According to Kisumu RFC coach Lawi Buyachi, his charges gave their best in the match. The burly Buyachi also noted that he was no stranger to the Eldoret terrain. He was a guest coach in Eldoret RFC during the 2021 Championship season.

“The boys came out to play and they knew what they wanted. We have never won our first match of the tournament but this time we challenged ourselves to do it. We know how we want to play. Expect amazing rugby from Kisumu RFC,” Buyachi offered.

Kisumu will tackle log leaders Kabras RFC in the second pool match.

Meanwhile, 2023 National 7s Circuit log leaders Kabras RFC kicked off their Tisap 7s campaign on a high, to see off Daystar Falcons 26-7. The Sugarmen will be looking to amass maximum points to see them widen the gap between them and second-placed KCB Rugby. The two teams have a two-points difference.

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Pool D

University of Eldoret (UoE) Trojans are still enjoying the sweet smell of victory after sharing 19-19 spoils with Mwamba RFC. This was a low start for Mwamba RFC who have failed to go past the quarterfinal stage in all the previous tournaments.

UoE coach Sheldon Munoko said that the good performance was made possible by the home advantage. The Trojans earned promotion to Division I after amassing 77 points to top the log. They have qualified for three finals since the onset of the 2023 circuit.

“We are at home and we have been training so hard for this tournament and we are pleased with the first result. We have learnt to be quick in the breakdowns and a bit technical. Going forward, our fans should expect better from us,” Munoko offered.

Round 1 collated results

Blak Blad 17-7 Mombasa RFC

KCB 33-5 Homeboyz RFC

Menengai Oilers 14-12 MMUST

Strathmore Leos 5-12 CUEA Monks

Kenya Harlequins 5-12 Kisumu RFC

Kabras RFC 26-7 Daystar Falcons

Mwamba RFC 19-19 UoE Trojans

Nakuru RFC 5-21 Nondies RFC