The Rugby Super Series is set to return on the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) calendar this year.
KRU are looking at resuming the series between May and June this year.
KRU chairman, Alexander Mutai, said following an 11-year break, the series that catapulted the 15's game to great heights will be key = before the international season starts in July.
“We are resuming the Rugby Super Series this year. We want it to be a feeder program for the Simbas as well as spur competition within the fraternity. Right now, we are in the process of looking for sponsors who will come on board to fund this venture which we believe will change the face of rugby in this country,” added Mutai.
Mutai said the format will be similar to the one that was played several years ago with the Kenya Cup club across the country operating under franchises.
"It will almost be similar to the last one we had a couple of years back. We will modify it a bit and those details will be issued in due course,” he added.
The chairman noted the Super Series will complement the Kenya and Enterprise Cups tournaments.
“It will be a big boost for our 15s rugby. I believe with the return of the series, our Simbas will be battle-hardened and will play more structured rugby as they head into the international season. We also expect them to grow the profile of the game," said Mutai
The Super Series tournament started in 2003 with five Kenya franchise teams namely— the Lions, Rhinos, Sharks, Cheetahs, and Buffaloes attracting the country's top 100 players from various clubs.
The Lions consisted of players from KCB, Mwamba and Mombasa Sports Club while the Rhinos had players from Quins and Nakuru. Impala and Nondies made up the Cheetahs franchise.
The Sharks consisted of players from Mean Machine, Strathmore and Mombasa Polytechnic.
In 2007, the tournament was expanded to include Uganda and Tanzania. Uganda was represented by Rwenzori, and Victoria while Tanzania had Twiga.
The Rhinos were the most successful side in the Super Series, winning the title four times. The Cheetahs won it twice with Buffaloes and Lions winning it once each
Mutai said plans are underway to professionalise the game in the country in line with his manifesto.
“We recently talked to some landowners who would lease land in Nairobi and Eldoret for clubs to build their facilities and it's something we are looking forward to shortly.
