Aasai

KCB interim head coach Andrew Amonde greatly  believes that experience and composure are what led his team to win the Kabeberi 7s title, while Daystar Falcons coach Collins Bosire hailed his team’s historic run to the first cup final as proof that they are among the country’s top  good talents.

 KCB defeated the Falcons 20–10 in Sunday’s final at the RFUEA Stadium, extending their lead at the top of the National Sevens. The Bankers dominated the first half, scoring three unanswered goals through Asati, Elvis Olukusi, and Vincent Onyala to take a 20–0 lead, before withstanding a comeback from Daystar after the break. 

Reflecting on the  recent win, Amonde stressed his team’s maturity in the big moments. We still have one more match to go, so we are focused on finishing on a high. He also praised Nyota for pushing them to the finish, saying they were prepared to face Nyota as worthy opponents. 

"We took them as worthy opponents because they were able to play worthy opponents to reach the final. We just took our chances when we had them and aimed to win," Amonde added. For Nyota, the weekend was not historic. They managed to make it to the knockout stages unbeaten - beating Homeboyz 15-7, Catholic Nuns 24-12, and MMUST 25-12 - before eliminating Menengai Oilers 24-19 in the quarter-finals and Strathmore Leos 12-10 in the semi-finals.

 "The final didn go our way, but Im proud of what we did. What affected us was not controlling the penalty kicks. They scored 20 points in the first half, but in the second half, they didn score and we got two tries. If we had had the ball earlier, it would have been different," he noted. Looking ahead, Bosire said the Falcons have raised their own bar.

 "At the start of the season, our target was to finish in the top six. By reaching this final, we are getting closer to that. Going into Dala, we will take it game by game, try to win all our games on the first day, and push for the quarterfinals," he said. 

The win takes KCB to 104 points, nine ahead of Strathmore Leos. With only the Dala 7s in Kisumu remaining, the Bankers only need to finish in the semi-finals to clinch the overall title. Yet Daystars rising atmosphere means the final stage promises as much excitement as the competition does.