Dala7s: Menengai Oilers, Kabras, Strathmore pick wins in round one

Round one of game one matches came to a screeching halt with some teams remaining unscathed while others were humbled.

POOL A

National 7s Circuit defending Champions Menengai Oilers were off to flying starts on day one of the 2023 Dala 7s played at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu. The Gibson Weru-coached side defeated students Catholic Monks 19-14.

Speaking to Mozzart Sport after the fiercely contested match, Menengai Oilers captain for the 2023 NSC Tyson Maina was impressed by the win, noting that the boys had to focus to achieve a milestone in the opening leg of the circuit.

"Today, the basics worked for us. We appreciate the win, hope to finish the day on a high, and qualify for the quarterfinals. The pressure is high, so our thing is just to calm down and focus," Maina noted.

Nondies RFC came to the match on a high, but would share 14-14 spoils with Nakuru RFC. Nakuru RFC was under the guidance of a former Menengai Oilers assistant coach who was seeking to lead the side to a major win.

According to Njoroge, the side conceded lots of tries due to impatience, but they were looking to bounce back.

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"We were a little bit impatient when it came to ball possession. We conceded many tries but we will bounce back in the next game. We have to win the next game," Njoroge told Mozzart Sport.

POOL B

Kenya Harlequins too made a run for their money after holding off Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) Rugby 21-17 in the closely contested match. The students were leading at half time, but Quins would bounce back to triumph in the match.

KCB Rugby managed their first cleansheet after an effortless 36-0 win over Mombasa RFC.

POOL C

Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup defending champions Kabras RFC left it too late to narrowly edge Daystar Falcons 21-19. The Sugarmen, who are under the tutelage of former Kenya 7s international Felix Ayange, was looking to impress in the circuit.

Ayange told Mozzart Sport that they were not underestimating any team in the National 7s circuit.

"We won narrowly. This is just a wake up call. We left quite a number of tries in the previous game. It is evident that in 7s you cannot write off any team. Any team can win Dala 7s. Our tackles and urgency were not up to standards," he noted.

Dala 7s hosts Kisumu RFC registered a disappointing loss in their opening game. The side lost 17-5 to Embu 7s defending champions Strathmore Leos.

POOL D

In Pool D, Dala 7s defending champions Homeboyz RFC narrowly edged on form Makueni RFC 12-10 while Kevin Mwema-coached Mwamba RFC saw off Western Bulls 12-7.