Game Week 13, The Review.

We start today’s post on a somber mood in memory of Karyna Okwaro who passed away on Friday 2^nd March after a long battle with cancer. She was a great rugby supporter and those who have been to Kisumu and met her would testify to that, she will be greatly missed. May the lord rest her soul in eternal peace, and provide her family and friends with the strength to see them through this very tough period. 

Here are the weekend results from the Kenya Cup :

Strathmore 22 – 25 Quins

Nondies 24 – 34 KCB

Mwamba 65 – 10 Kisumu

Nakuru 32 - 14 Impala

Homeboyz 3 – 12 Machine

The Lunch bar quins completed the double over Strath at the UoN grounds in the space of 3 days and thus retaining their place at the top of the table. It was no mean feat though as the students from the good university threw all they had at it but could not manage to see off a determined quins side. This result means the XXVII crew slip to fourth, 5 points adrift having played a game more than the teams above them. Quins are now in the driving seat whether they can hold on to the lead till the end will be a question only time can answer.

At the Jamuhuri grounds KCB clawed back from a 14-8 deficit at the break against Nondies to eventually win the battle of the lions 34-24, The fact that the lions (KCB) were down to 14 men for a large part of the game makes the victory that much impressive. With this victory the Lions (KCB) are now third on 40 points, just 4 off the pace, the other lions (Nondies) slip to seventh with 22 points. Us guys of Nondies will be greatly disappointed with this result, one because they failed to build on the momentum they had gathered coming into this game after beating Mwamba and Impala, two is the small matter of letting go of a lead to 14 men. The lions will hope that this victory will re-ignite their campaign as we start moving into the business end of the league.

At the Impala grounds, Mwamba hosted Kisumu RFC and really not much had changed since the last time these two met. A rampant Kulabu ran rings around the kondele defence and managed to almost replicate the score in Kisumu, it was 64-8 then, it ended 65-10 here. Kulabu remain 5^th despite that resounding win, 9 points behind leaders Quins who have played a game less. Kisumu also remain as they were before this game week though with a significant dent in the points conceded column. 

The Wanyore kept their 100% home record and title challenge alive and kicking after seeing off Impala 32-14. According to reports, Impala were caught on the back foot from the word go and thus were always chasing the game. With this win Nakuru remain 2^nd two points off the top on 42, if they manage to copy paste their home form to the road then the Kenya cup will surely be heading to the Rift. Impala have now suffered two heavy losses on the trot, how this will impact on the remaining games will be seen, they remain 6^th for now only three points ahead of 7^thand 8 behind Mwamba. 

To my feature match which took place at the Lion’s den in Ruaraka, Homeboyz taking on Mean machine. The match began at a frantic pace with each side keen on getting the upper hand early on, with no one giving in, it turned into a kick and chase contest for a sizable amount of time. The Djs enjoyed more of the possession as the half wore on, Eschuma happy to defend as they always are. The yellow and blue stripes reached within striking distance severally but could not manage to score. Within this period they managed to win several  penalties, one of which they elected to go for points but missed, just. Machine were now seeing more of the ball growing in stature and confidence, they now frequented the homeboyz 22 and they drew first blood with a converted try to take a 7-0 advantage into the break.

Homeboyz came into the second with a new sense of urgency as they ran the show, probing the machine defence repeatedly. This constant wave of pressure saw them win another penalty, this time Steve Sakwa or the man they call Modo slotting it in, to bring the scores to 7-3. The game would drag on from here, the djs still attacking relentlessly, machine defending the same. The likes of Paul Murunga, Oscar Ayodi and Dan Weku all doing their part to gain valuable yards for their side but the white and blue stripes would not fold. Homeboyz would then introduce Ken Isindu whose Impact was immediately felt as he made a couple of yards with his first touch. Time was running out for Homeboyz and you could see from their play that they were getting frustrated. In the dying minute of the game, Captain Cedric Odera would pick a turn over ball from a Homeboyz ruck deep inside their 22, run 10 or so metres before Machine won a penalty for an infringement at the ruck, they chose to put the ball to touch finding it just short of the Homeboyz 22. Machine won the resultant line out, setting up several phases from their forwards before that man Cedric Odera barged over the line with the final play of the game to break the hearts of the Homeboyz. Final score Machine 12, Homeboyz 3. This victory means Machine leap frog Nondies into 7^th on 24 points, Homeboyz on the other hand will feel very unlucky as they remain rooted at the bottom of the table though still with a game in hand on Kisumu. These two will meet again this Wednesday at the UoN grounds to compensate for the match they missed earlier due to the University games. So the Djs have a chance to either redeem themselves, or dent their season even further come Wednesday.

My man of the match goes to Cedric Odera who worked tirelessly and led from the front throughout the game. Also worth mentioning are Lyon Lubanga at 7 for Homeboyz, his work rate was from another planet. Mubea the Machine Number 15, he has new boots by the way, he was very safe under the high balls and his decision making from the back was great bearing in mind he was constantly being bombarded.

Here’s a look at the table standings, games played and points so far in that order :

          1. Quins -  12 – 44

          2. Nakuru – 12 – 42

          3. KCB – 12 – 40

          4. Strathmore - 13 – 38

          5. Mwamba – 13 – 35

          6. Impala  - 12 – 27

          7.Machine – 11 – 24

          8. Nondies – 12 – 22

          9. Kisumu – 12 – 12

         10.Homeboyz – 11 - 10

Other results from the ESS :

Nakuru II 10 - 11 Impala II

Machine II 19 - 3 Homeboyz II

Nondies II 21 - 22 KCB II

Quins II 24 - 7 Strathmore II

I did not get the result for the Western bulls Mwamba II game.... 

Still in the ESS, the unbeaten Quins II will host Strath II in another midweek clash at the RFUEA on Tuesday at 4:30 pm, this match was not played last week. 

This year’s Elgon Cup will be played on the 21^st of April (Uganda) and the 28^th (Nairobi). I still maintain that this cup should have a third neutral location like TZ as a decider cause we all know everyone will win at home, though this year I see us beating these sebos home and away.

As I leave, big congratulations to the new fathers all around, Kenya 7’s Assistant Coach Charles Cardovilis, Kenya 7’s vice Captain Andrew Amonde and Homeboyz’s back row Ken Isindu on their new bundles of joy!! Cardo and Isindu with sons while Andrew was blessed with a beautiful daughter...interesting equation, hehehe!

With that ladies and Gentlemen……have a blessed week ahead aaannnndddd.....

KWISHA!!!

P.S Weh Brian 'Phoumbe' Ahenda please return my complimentary copy of the Kenya Rugby inc magazine I gave you on sato, it was the first edition, collector’s item bana. Na ni 150 tu nunua yako…hiyo ilikua yangu. Ama ulisunda ikakua inner sole ya kiatu yako? HELL!!! Eti pia naskia Machine wali achieve target yao ya kuscore points equal na your shoe size…lol!!