• Defending champions Kabras Sugar will get the action underway when they take on league returnees Kisumu in the early kickoff at the Kakamega Showground.
• KCB will take on Nondescript at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka as Kenya Harlequin host Catholic Monks at RFUEA grounds.
Strathmore Leos head coach Louis Kisia believes an improvement in the setpiece will be key for his charges as the Kenya Cup kicks off on Saturday.
The former Mwamba tactician said he has taken over the forwards role at the club and is optimistic that his charges can fire up in the scrum, lineout, and breakdown in their quest to qualify for the playoffs at the end of the season.
"Our scrum was not up to standards last season. This is an area you have to get it right if you want to dominate and win matches in 15s rugby,” said Kisia.
The varsity outfit finished a disappointing seventh last season with 20 points from four wins and seven losses. This was a far cry from the previous season, where the Madaraka-based side's campaign ended with a defeat to Kabras in the semis.
Kisia said lack of clinical edge and discipline were their undoing in the semis.
"Last season, we lost most of our matches in the closing stages due to our inability to close out matches in the final quarter as well as a yellow card here and there," observed Kisia.
"In our pre-season, we vowed to clean our act in terms of discipline and be sharp in our attack as well as decision-making."
The varsity outfit have signed Felix Odhiambo and are in the process of recruiting four more players before Saturday's kickoff. However, the core players from last year have stayed put, led by skipper Barnabas Owuor, Andrew Matoka, Stephen Osumba, Gabriel Ayimba, Shem Okola and Richard Omedo.
Kisia expects a competitive league with an intense fight for playoff places.
“I expect Kabras, KCB, Oilers, Quins to dominate, but don't rule out Nondies and Blak Blad, who can surprise a few teams on their day," said Kisia
The students will open their campaign with a trip to Nakuru on Saturday.
Defending champions Kabras Sugar will get the action underway when they take on league returnees Kisumu in the early kickoff at the Kakamega Showground.
KCB will take on Nondescript at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka as Kenya Harlequin host Catholic Monks at RFUEA grounds.
Menengai Oilers host Homeboyz at the Nakuru Showground with Kenyatta University's Blak Blad welcoming Mwamba.
This season’s Kenya Cup final will be played on April 4, 2024. The league will be played in a one-off, round-robin format.
Teams ranked third to sixth will battle for away semifinal slots against the top two teams at the close of the league season.