TOKYO, Japan, Jul 28 – Kenya Sevens head coach Innocent ‘Namcos’ Simiyu has hinted that he will incorporate Andrew Amonde in his technical staff after the captain officially announced his retirement from the team as Shujaa finished 9th in the 2020 Olympic Games.
Amonde, 38, has had a 15 years stint with the Kenya 7s team and although he was disappointed with the team not reaching their goal, he was thankful to the team and the Kenya Rugby Union for the opportunity.
During his stay at the team, Amonde will be remembered by his steady leadership to the team, especially in the World Sevens Series, with 2016 being historic where he led the team to winning a first ever Main Cup title at the circuit, lifting the Singapore 7s.
“He has been a true servant of the game and at the country, he is a hard worker and for us is just to say a big thank you to him as we wish him the very best in his career, hopefully we can look how we can incorporate him in the management so that he can help in rallying the next generation,” Simiyu, a former Kenya 7s captain, who played alongside Amonde, said.
Amonde started, who played as a prop started his rugby career at Kisumu Rugby Club, before joining KCB RFC later on.
“To me it’s done! my years has catch up with me I have done service to the country and it’s good enough to see the young players that we have mentored come in and we give them a chance to see them showcase what they can do,” Amonde said after leading Kenya to beat Ireland 22-0 in their last classification match here at the Tokyo Stadium.
He added, “there is no better place than being with these boys, it has been my family for the last 15 years and I appreciate every moment I have been with them from the time they started playing and to where they are now as men, it has been a big honor for me to serve them and leaving them behind is something I will hold dearly in my heart. I will miss them so much, running with them in the pitch, giving our sweat and blood, I will keep on encouraging them from the sidelines,” Amonde bowed out.
The captain fantastic received a lot of positive tributes from the players especially young who grew under his wings.
“I’m proud to play alongside Andrew (Amonde) in the national team, we have learnt a lot from him, he is a man of big heart and we will miss him a lot, we wish him the best in his next phase of career,” Johnstone Olindi said.
