- Ronnie Omondi and Bob Muhati will make their debuts
- Dubai and Cape Town will be the second and third legs of the World Series
- Kenya did not win a match in the opening round in Hong Kong
Shujaa head coach Damian McGrath has named two debutants in his squad that heads out to the second and third legs of the World Rugby Sevens Series in Dubai and Cape Town.
The tactician has handed maiden calls to Mwamba’s Ronnie Omondi and KCB’s Bob Muhati, as he keeps most of the players that did duty in the opening round.
“We’ve introduced two more new caps who were two of the most outstanding players on the recent National Sevens Circuit. Bob Muhati is coming in the forwards and Ronnie Omondi comes in at half back,” said coach McGrath.
He added; “We’ve got faith in both these two players, they’ve trained very hard and very well and they will join George Ooro and Dennis Abukuse from the last leg as new starters.”
Onyala out for the rest of the season
Shujaa hurdle together during a match at the Commonwealth Games
Meanwhile, the team has suffered a massive blow with Vincent Onyala being ruled out for the rest of the season with a nasty injury, while Bush Mwale will also miss the two legs due to other commitments.
“Unfortunately we’ve lost Onyala to a season ending injury, which is a real blow for the team. Vincent is one of the world’s best sevens players in my opinion and he’ll be a difficult man to replace,” said the tactician.
On Mwale, the coach said; “Bush has been unavailable for training, because of the off-field issues, he’s had to take a part time job, which means he’s not available for training.”
Shujaa will be looking for an improved performance in Dubai and Cape Town after a huge underperformance in Hong Kong, where they failed to win a single match and picked a paltry one point.
Kenya placed third from bottom
Shujaa vs New Zealand. PHOTO/KRU
Kenya are now placed third from bottom in the standings. But, the team’s performance in Hong Kong was affected by many outside forces, including the lack of motivation for the players due to lack of contracts and unpaid allowances.
With the same issues still lingering, McGrath can only hope that the players will turn up for their pride and put up a worthwhile performance.
For the Dubai Sevens, Shujaa have been drawn in a very tough pool based on their performance in Hong Kong. They will play in Pool A where they will face off with current log leaders and Hong Kong winners Australia, African rivals South Africa and Great Britain.
Shujaa squad to Dubai and Cape Town
Nelson Oyoo (Nakuru,Captain), Johnstone Olindi (KCB), Daniel Taabu (Mwamba), Bob Muhati(KCB), George Ooro(Strathmore Leos), Ronald Omondi(Mwamba), Billy Odhiambo(Mwamba), Kevin Wekesa (Kabras Sugar), Anthony Omondi (Mwamba), Herman Humwa (Kenya Harlequin), Edmund Anya (Impala), Willy Ambaka, Dennis Abukuse (Menengai Oilers)
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