Blak Blad sets bar higher after Floodies quarterfinal triumph

Kenyatta University rugby team Blak Blad RFC's coach Benard Rotich has expressed the belief that their win against Strathmore Leos in the Impala Floodlights quarterfinals will only inspire them to achieve more. Blak Blad held off a late surge from the Strathmore Leos, securing a 17-13 win and proceeding to the semifinals where they will meet Nondies RFC.

Blad were leading with an early penalty by Kelvin Gathu while Vice Captain Dennis Odhiambo landed a try for an 8-0 lead.

Gathu then drilled in two more penalties for a 14-0 lead before the Leos quickly pulled back with an unconverted try just before the break.

George Ooro landed another try for the Leos and they also got a penalty to change the scoreline to 14-13 in favor of Blad.

The resilient Blak Blad drilled in another penalty for a 17-13 win.

In an exclusive with Mozzart Sport, Rotich alias Tichi noted that the win was a morale booster for his charges. They will be using the Impala Floodlights tournament as a springboard to the direction they are headed ahead of the 2023/24 season set to kick off on November 25.

Coach Rotich also pointed out that sticking to their game plan gave them the much-needed results. The students were composed despite pressure from their fellow students Strathmore Leos.

"I would say sticking to the game plan which was to just do the little things right. The first half was largely about composure second half character took us through. The game plan was just to do what we had trained for which was passes and tackling and of course, since it is always a derby we added a bit of pride in it to make us do those things passionately," Rotich offered.

The team will be heading into the new season without the services of their key players like Lionel Ajeliti and Nick Okullo who were snapped up by KCB Rugby. In spite of that, the tactician was optimistic that the new crop of players would seamlessly blend with the Blad spirit. He pointed out that he would start the new faces in a bid to give them exposure on the big stage.

"Generally, we just focus on the basics and how we want to play because we have a new crop of players coming in as we try and transition. We shall however give it all we got and see if we can give ourselves a chance to be in the first-ever club category final in our history. It can be very special to this young team," he averred.

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Coach Rotich further gave a sneak peek inside the Blad Bin, noting that the boys were sharpening their fitness and attacking patterns during this preseason.

"We thought our fitness was wanting, our attack patterns didn't come out clearly but we shall keep working on them progressively as planned in our preseason program," he revealed.

The Impala Floodlit pre-season tournament commenced on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at the Impala Club. Defending champions, KCB, last year’s runners-up, Nondescripts, Menengai Oilers, and Blak Blad all secured spots in the semifinals with varying victories.

Menengai Oilers dominated a spirited Impala side, winning 53-15, while Nondescripts narrowly edged out Catholic Monks 20-18. KCB displayed their strength with a resounding 45-0 victory over Kenya Harlequin.

The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday, October 21, at the same venue. Nondescripts will face off against Blak Blad, and KCB will take on Menengai Oilers in the second semifinal match.

Quarterfinal Results

Blak Blad 17-13 Strathmore Leos

Menengai Oilers 53-15 Impala RFC

Nondescripts 20-18 Catholic Monks

KCB RFC 45-0 Kenya Harlequin

Semifinals: 21 October 2023

Nondescripts vs. Blak Blad

KCB vs Menengai Oilers