KRU Board Holds Strategic Retreat
The Kenya Rugby Union held its strategic retreat on Friday 22 July 2016 at the Kakamega Sports in Kakamega County.
Areas of discussion at the retreat revolved around the implementation of the Kenya Rugby Union’s Strategic Plan,taking into account the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018,the fifteens Rugby World Cup 2019 as well as the 2020 Olympic Games.
It was at this retreat that the new league structure and season received board approval, while the KRU Rule and Regulations too were finally adopted with the aim of giving direction towards governance of the game in the country.
The session also took a critical look at the Get Into Rugby Programs as well as ways of developing new strategies to incorporate various rugby programs into the KRU’s development set up.
KRU Chairman Richard Omwela, speaking about the retreat, said, ““Investing in the game means investing in all of our people and all the places that rugby is played and enjoyed. The decision to have the retreat in Kakamega stemmed from an invite from Western Bulls that we gladly accepted. It gives us an opportunity to reach out and get closer to the affiliates and we look forward to more of these retreats with the affiliates across the country.”
“It was a fruitful venture and it helps in charting the union’s strategic direction as we look to grow and improve the quality of the game in Kenya,” he concluded.
Kenya Chases Olympic Glory
Rugby makes it return to the Olympics after a 92 year hiatus and as it so stands, Kenya will not miss out on the party, its men and women’s teams part of the history making bunch when they play in their respective categories.
The two teams have already made history by becoming the third team sport to represent Kenya at the Olympics after hockey and volleyball.
The Lionesses were invited to the Olympics after South Africa turned down their chance to play in Rio. They are in Pool B of the women’s competition with New Zealand, France and Spain. They will be first off the blocks as the women’s competition kicks off on Saturday 6 August.
Shujaa, the men’s team, left it late, really really late to gather Olympic qualification, beating Zimbabwe 21-19 in sudden death in a nerve wracking qualifier in Johannesburg in November 2015.
They have been pooled in Pool C at the Rio games together with New Zealand, Great Britain and Japan. They start their campaign on Tuesday 9 August.
Kenya Rugby Sevens Olympic Schedules
Women
Saturday 6 August 2016
New Zealand v Kenya 5.30pm
France v Kenya 10.30pm
Sunday 7 August 2016
Spain v Kenya 5.30pm
Men
Tuesday 9 August 2016
Great Britain v Kenya 5.30pm
New Zealand v Kenya 11.30pm
Wednesday 10 August 2016
Kenya v Japan 6.00pm
From Bid To Brazil: Kenya’s Olympic Story
9 October, 2009 must seem a distant memory for most people but for Kenya’s Humphrey Kayange it was a crucial part of his rugby career to date.
Following a comprehensive bid to get rugby sevens into the Olympics, the International Olympic Committee decided almost unanimously to add the sport to the 2016 and 2020 Games, a momentous occasion for the sport.
In the ensuing five and half years since rugby sevens was given the nod, the game has seen unprecedented growth. The women’s game has grown from 200,000 players to 1.7 million in the last three years alone, a sign of the times for rugby sevens.
The HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series now features ten rounds across the globe and is sprinkled with not only the finest sevens players but also a few new recruits from the 15s game, such as Bryan Habana, Quade Cooper and Sonny Bill Williams. The game has never been bigger and Kayange, a Kenyan stalwart on the sevens circuit and part of the then IRB’s bid, looks back fondly to that day back in 2009.
“It’s a few years down the line now but it was a really exciting time for rugby to get back into the Olympics,” he said. “My part was to try and represent the smaller nations and show what it would mean to countries to compete on the world stage and win a medal.
“We were confident that we had a great case for rugby being in the Olympics. Having guys like the late Jonah Lomu and Agustin Pichot, who are big names in the 15-a-side game, coming to support the campaign was really amazing. We also had Cheryl Soon from Australia sevens, who helped us all form a strong unit. In the last meeting with the IOC we were as strong as we could be and we were incredibly happy for the final decision.
“As soon as rugby got back into the Olympics, nations began investing in rugby sevens and you can see the game has really grown with the number of teams and countries focusing on the game. The game has become more competitive, you can see this year a real shift towards the style of play in 15s with big physical guys, so the Olympics will be a great spectacle.”
If the first step was getting rugby sevens back in the OIympics, then the second step for Kenya was qualifying. Last November, in Africa’s regional Olympic qualifying event Kenya faced Zimbabwe in a winner takes all match to qualify for Rio. In the dying seconds, Dennis Ombachi ran the length of the pitch to secure qualification for Kenya, an incredible finish to the match.
“Of course every final is always going to be nerve wracking but we had the confidence we would pull through as the winners,” said Ombachi. “I can’t say what I was thinking when running as I actually can’t remember what I was thinking. When I got the ball from Collins I knew I just had to run, and I remember just finding myself by the try-line. It was surreal.
“It was a dream come true for the players and the management. We knew from there we had our work cut out though. Competing in the Olympics is a different level and we know that.
National Sevens Series Kicks Off
The National Sevens Series kicks off on 6th/7th August with the first leg, the Prinsloo Sevens taking place at the Nakuru Athletic Club.
This tournament will then pave way for the George Mwangi Kabeberi Sevens on 13th/14th August in Nairobi before heading down to the coast for the Driftwood Sevens at the Mombasa Sports Club on 20th/21st August .
Kisumu will host the fourth round on 3rd/4th September with Nanyuki which was initially slated to host round six, playing host to round five a week later on 10th/11th September before the series takes it bow at the Christie Sevens in Nairobi on 17th/18th September.
2016 National Sevens Series
Prinsloo Sevens – 6th/7th August, Nakuru Athletic Club, Nakuru
Kabeberi Sevens – 13th/14th August, RFUEA Grounds, Nairobi
Driftwood Sevens – 20th/21st August, Mombasa Sports Club, Mombasa
Dala Sevens – 3rd /4th September, ASK Mamboleo Showgrounds, Kisumu
Nanyuki Sevens – 10th/ 11th September, Nanyuki Sports Club
Christie Sevens – 17th/18th September, RFUEA Grounds, Nairobi
Safari Sevens – 23-25th September, Safaricom Stadium, near Nairobi
Simbas Reclaim The Elgon Cup
The Simbas put in a dogged display of rugby to reclaim the Elgon Cup with a 93-34 aggregate win over Uganda, the 45-24 win in Nairobi on Saturday 30 July consolidating the 48-10 first leg win over the same opponent in Kampala on Saturday 4 June.
The result also secured second place for the Simbas in the 2016 Rugby Africa Division 1A Championships and more importantly earned them the right to host at least two home ties in next season’s championship.
Head Coach Jerome Paarwater, in his post match reaction, said, ” I praise the boys for the determination and character shown in reclaiming this cup. They played as a unit, showed character to rise from adversity and prevail.”
Simbas Face Hong Kong In Tatu City Series
Fresh from reclaiming the Elgon Cup, The Simbas are set to host Hong Kong in the Tatu City Series, a two match test series set for Tuesday 23 August and Saturday 27 August in Nairobi.
The Jerome Paarwater Simbas are currently at their highest ever ranking on the world stage, sitting pretty at 24th but should expect a stern test from the 22nd ranked Hong Kong.
Ticketing and related information regarding this series will be released in a subsequent bulletin.
Get Into Rugby Programs
The Kenya Rugby Union recently held a series of Get Into Rugby Programs. The first, sponsored by Tatu City, took place as a curtain raiser for the Elgon Cup/Rugby Africa clash between Kenya and Uganda at the RFUEA Grounds on Saturday 30 July 2016.
The second took place a day later, on Sunday 31 July at the Braeburn School in Nanyuki and was focused on girls rugby.
Nicholas Aballa, KRU Age Grade & Training Coordinator, giving his review on the dual activities,said, ” It is encouraging to see the interest continue to grow. We are continually attracting numbers, teams and schools. Of course it is exciting to see them in the TRY phase of the G.I.R program and with constant sessions and festivals, we should be able to shepherd them to the PLAY and STAY phases. ”
“I of course give a big thank you to Tatu City for their sponsorship of the program on Saturday, and of course Braeburn School and KRU Regional Development Officer Dennis Gem for their efforts in making Sunday’s program an equal success.”
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