Outstanding sevens rugby team of the season
After five legs of the National Sevens Series and Nakuru RFC lifted their maiden title, the national selectors panel was satisfied that they had their 28 players that will do national duty for Kenya.
The squad that was announced on Sunday evening had seasoned campaigners such as Collins Injera, Patrice Agunda and Willy Ambaka as well as some new faces such as Frank Wanyama, Nelson and Fidel Castro.
After following the series across the country, here is Nairobi News’ chosen 12 that should be on the plane to South Africa for Olympic qualifiers later in October.
1. Andrew Amonde – Despite KCB having a poor season as per their standards, the current national sevens skipper was at his best, putting in big tackles and very efficient at breakdowns. Opede is still heads and shoulders above the rest when it comes to turn overs and ball carrying.
2. Patrice Agunda – Patrice led Kenya Harlequin to Christie Sevens title and Dala Sevens Main Cup finals before they ran out of steam. A good reader of the game who does his work with efficiency of a swiss watch, Agunda has been of the national team set up for a couple of seasons now.
3. Dan Sikuta – The former St Joseph’s Kitale footballer has been the mainstay of Mwamba RFC’s 2015 campaign. When the faltered was faltering, he led from the front scoring tries and putting in tackles. Sikuta exhibits leadership abilities both on and off the pitch.
4. Shaban Ahmed – The Mwamba RFC playmaker emerged as the joint top try scorer in the national sevens series. Shaban is richly talented with vision, pace and good defensive abilities. He helped Kenya claim silver in Zimbabwe during the then CAR Sevens.
5. Biko Adema – Old hands are always safe hands. Biko exhibited exceptional decision making ability that many flyhalves lacked in the series. In his absence Nondies lacked direction. However, he should help Kenya get crucial points on the board if he worked on his kicks a little longer.
6. Billy Odhiambo – Arguably one of the best centres in the country, Billy’s knack of breaking tackles and ball carrying abilities has made him a permanent fixture in the Kenya 7s set up. His experience will be needed in South Africa.
7. Collins Injera – Injera’s influence on the game was manifested when he was introduced in the just concluded series by coach Johnny Mbai in Mombasa. He waltzed opponents and made match saving tackles to help Mwamba claim the 2015 Driftwood 7s title. He was duly named the MVP for Driftwood and Kabeberi.
On the bench, the following players should be called up to help in the tricky qualifiers:
8. Frank Wanyama – Quins
9. Willy Ambaka – Quins
10. Oscar Dennis – Nondies
11. Augustine Lugonzo – Homeboyz
12. Bush Mwale – Homeboyz
Whom do you think should be omitted or added to the team?