NAIROBI, Kenya, August 6 – Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) rugby team assistant coach Dennis ‘Ironman’ Mwanja believes the bankers’ hopes of a fourth National Sevens Circuit (NSC) title are still alive despite failing to win the Prinsloo Sevens held over the weekend at Nakuru Athletic Club.
Mwanja said the team will fight hard to the end and not give up on the chase despite lying seven points adrift of current leaders Kabras Sugar who top the standings with 63 points.
“We are always challenging…we bite, scratch and claw our way into every win. We don’t lie down and play dead…historically, we have always been giving a good account of ourselves,” Mwanja said.
The bankers finished third in Nakuru after their 22-12 win over NSC defending champions Menengai Oilers in the third-place playoff.
The three-time NSC champions had suffered a humiliating 15-0 loss to Kabras Sugar in the semi-final, following on from their 17-12 defeat at the hands of the Oilers at the same stage of the competition at the Driftwood Sevens in Mombasa.
Mwanja is optimistic that the bankers — whose last title was in 2019 — will rediscover their mojo in time.
“It is a marathon…we still have a couple more legs to go. Like last year, it was decided on the last day. We cannot write off a circuit that is still halfway,” Mwanja said.
He promised that the technical bench as well as the playing unit will work hand-in-hand to rectify the mistakes noted in Nakuru, ahead of next weekend’s Christie Sevens in Nairobi.
“Today has been a mixed day…we have had different results. We blew hot and cold…We did not fire when we were expected to and hence we ended up being knocked out in the semis and having to play in the third-place playoff. But, we will pick up from there, go back to the drawing board and work on our mistakes,” the national women’s rugby team coach said.
At the same time, KCB captain Vincent Onyala urged the team to remain galvanised despite the disappointment and to build on the gains.
“They (the players) have been very exceptional in this tournament. Despite the third place, we hold our heads high even as we train for the subsequent legs. I encourage all our fans to continue backing our team and we will not disappoint them,” Onyala said.
