• The Mwamba duo of Billy Odhiambo and Daniel Taabu returns after missing out on the tour of New Zealand and Australia while there is a debut for Strathmore Leos Brunson Madigu.
•The team departs on Saturday to Los Angeles and will return on March 7
Image: FILE
Kenya Sevens head coach Damian McGrath has made three changes to the national team Shujaa ahead of the Los Angeles and Vancouver Sevens tournaments slated for later this month.
The Mwamba duo of Billy Odhiambo and Daniel Taabu returns after missing out on the tour of New Zealand and Australia while there is a debut for Strathmore Leos Brunson Madigu.
The Englishman said he is delighted with the return of the vastly experienced Odhiambo and playmaker Taabu for the North American legs.
"The three players who are coming in are Billy Odhiambo who brings a vast wealth of experience and it will be crucial for us at this time. Daniel Taabu who's been outstanding as a utility player was badly missed on the last trip when he was unavailable for personal issues.”
Speaking about Madigu’s inclusion, McGrath said: “Madigu has been outstanding in the local circuit…has so much talent and has trained so well, so we’ve decided it would be a great opportunity for him to taste some world series action.”
“It’s been difficult having no development team to use so we are having to use the world series to give these players a little taste of what’s to come because we’re going to need them in the future…but I am sure Madigu will stand up and not let the country down. He has a lot of talent and I am looking forward to see how he copes,” added McGrath.
With Shujaa 12th on the log, McGrath said: “We are at a crucial point in the series. We’ve managed to claw our way back up to within touching distance of safety and the next two-week period will give us an indication of how we are going to fare.”
“We are in a very tough group, alongside Fiji and Australia, who are immediate stumbling blocks to getting through to a quarterfinal. But it should be noted that all the teams around us are now fighting to avoid the drop," added McGrath.
“Japan, who are rock bottom, are in our group but are by no means an easy team to beat. They pushed teams close and it must be noted that they have been in the USA for two weeks preparing for this. They’ve also brought their development team, which just shows the type of opposition we are up against."
“We’ve had a good two weeks of training at Peponi School and we are thankful for all the help they give us. We are going to fight and try make sure that we can secure valuable points to help our ultimate aim of remaining on the world series,” concluded McGrath.
The team departs on Saturday to Los Angeles and will return on March 7.
TEAM: Nelson Oyoo (Captain), Herman Humwa (Vice Captain), Kevin Wekesa, Alvin Otieno, Dennis Abukuse, Brian Tanga, Tony Omondi, John Okoth, George Ooro, Billy Odhiambo, Edmund Anya, Daniel Taabu, Brunson Madigu