Disappointed Blak Blad coach highlights positives despite annihilation by KCB

Kenyatta University's Blak Blad head coach Benard Rotich cut a visibly frustrated figure after KCB Rugby comprehensively thumped his side in the much-hyped Thika Road derby played on Saturday, 24 January at the Blad Bin.

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Blak Blad, who had been tipped to pose a serious challenge to the Bankers, fell 41-3 as KCB ran riot in the first half, effectively putting the contest beyond reach before the break.

The match, which kicked off after a delay and was watched by a packed crowd, saw KCB punish Blad’s early lapses with a flurry of tries.

Despite home support, the students struggled to contain the visitors’ pace and precision, conceding repeatedly as the Bankers capitalised on handling errors and defensive gaps. Blad’s only points of the game came from a first-half penalty by Enock Oduor.

After the match, the Blak Blad coach expressed disappointment but chose to focus on the positives from the second half, when his side showed renewed grit and organisation.

“I am disappointed, very disappointed. But again, after such losses, we redefine what winning is for us. Having not conceded any point in the second half, I think we take that as a win for us,” the visibly frustrated coach said.

He pointed out a worrying trend that has crept into his team’s performances this season: slow starts that leave them playing catch-up against top opposition.

“We have also noticed a pattern where we start our games slowly and pick up in the second half. But we cannot do that against these big teams, and that has shown.

So we will look into that and see how we can have better starts for our games,” he explained.

While the first half proved costly, the coach was quick to praise his players’ attitude and response after the break, as Blad defended with more intensity and denied KCB any further points.

“In the second half, I am proud of the boys for their effort. For the first half, I am proud of the boys who knew what they wanted because they went out for it,” he said.

Attention now turns to another stern test against Menengai Oilers on Saturday, 31 January, a side the coach believes mirrors KCB in style and quality.

“I hope we shall regroup and think about what to do before we face the Oilers, which is almost a similar team to KCB.

Right now, we are playing the top four from last season. We won one against Nondies, and we now look to put up a strong performance against Oilers,” he offered.