Vihiga Boys coach Abdallah Abubakar has downplayed the team’s chances of retaining the Federation of East African Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSA) rugby 7s title.
Vihiga Boys, the national 15s champions, will focus on winning the regional longer version of the competition. They beat Kisii School 14-6 to win the national title at Shimo la Tewa School in Mombasa.
All Saints Embu are the current East African title holders. Other teams that will represent Kenya at the regional showpiece in Kakamega in August are Kisii School, All Saints and Upper Hill School.
Abubakar said: “We have a relatively young and inexperienced 7s team comprising mostly of Form Two students. Our focus this year will be winning the East Africa 15s title.”
“The Sevens team has never played in any competition. They easily get intimidated when facing opponents. It is a team we want to build for the future. We want to expose them to some tournaments before Term Two games kick off later this month,” said the tactician.
Last weekend, they participated in the Black Rock rugby 7s tournament in Kakamega, where they were eliminated at the group stage.
According to Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) regulations, rugby 15s players who have qualified for East Africa cannot participate in the 7s competition.
Elsewhere, former national and East Africa 7s champions Koyonzo High School is plotting a comeback.
Coach Eliud Okwemba exuded confidence in reclaiming the national title they won in 2022 and 2023. They also lifted the East Africa title in 2023.
“After we lost our title in 2024, we went back to the drawing board. We have been rebuilding, and I believe we have what it takes to reclaim our title,” Okwemba told the Star.
In 2024, Koyonzo lost 10-5 to eventual national champions Friends School Bwake in the semi-finals at Kisii School.
