Rugby teams grouped into four pools for Kabeberi Sevens Cup
Four tough pools for the Kabeberi Rugby Sevens tournament are set to highlight day one of the opener leg of the 2022 local 7s circuit opener to be played at the RFUEA this Saturday.
Hosts and defending champions Mwamba headline pool B and will be up against Nondescripts while the varsity side of Mean Machine will clash with Embu Sevens winners Strathmore Leos.
After a 2-year absence owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the local sevens rugby enthusiasts will be up for a treat this weekend when the 16 participating teams renew rivalry at the RFUEA grounds.
This is after an indefinite long break that has seen rugby caravans reduce in numbers while a few regular hosts including Nakuru, Kisumu and Mombasa have not made the most out of the opportunities presented to them.
During this weekend’s matches, the overall rugby series defending champions KCB is set to renew rivalry with the Kenya Cup defending champions Kabras in the shorter version of the game.
The two will fight to top pool A against Western Bulls and Masinde Muliro University - a Western-based duo that will spice up the pool A contention.
The other two pools will feature former series defending champions Homeboyz and rivals Nakuru. Homeboyz is in Pool C with recent Embu Sevens runners Menengai Oilers, Kenya Harlequins and Blak Blad.
Nakuru is in Pool D where Impala Saracens, Northern Suburbs and Daystar University will also seek a top-two finish to make the top eight cut and avoid featuring in the placements playoffs where the bottom four will be relegated to the second tier.
Cup finalists
The season will also encompass division two which is also contested by 16 teams where the two cup finalists will be promoted to the main division while the hosts of each leg will have the right to invite two sides.
Mwamba already invited Daystar University and Northern Suburbs.
The opener leg hosts will seek to defend the home title they won in the previous edition that was hosted at the Kinoru stadium in Meru County after dispatching Menengai Oilers 27-7 in the cup final.
The tourney was first played in 1986 to commemorate the passing away of George Mwangi Kabeberi as one of the founding members of the Mwamba Rugby club received a partnership boost with a leading betting firm - Betsafe ahead of the 32nd edition of George set for this weekend. Betsafe Managing Director Victor Sudi said: “We are fully committed to the development of sports talent and recognize that the tournament is a key contributor to the national squad players for Kenya Rugby.”
Mwamba Rugby honorary secretary Humphrey Kayange stated that he was excited adding that the partnership will help the club greatly. “With Betsafe, we get an engaged and reliable partner with a focus on responsible gaming, but also a partner who shares our passion and values about rugby and the excitement that comes with it. We can see a solid future together.”
