Kenya Harlequin prodigy living his dream after landing international deal

Kenya Harlequin youngster Cornelius Mokoro is on the right course to actualizing his long-term rugby dream.

The 21-year-old left his club to join Romanian side CSA Steaua. He has been in the club for five weeks now. He became the fourth player from Quins to join a Romanian side.

In an exclusive with Mozzart Sport, Mokoro revealed that he was living his dream despite the challenges brought by the new environment. He landed the deal late last year.

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“I got this deal at the end of last season. There was a guy that had come to watch our game and he was a scout. He approached me after the match, told me I played well, and took my contact,” he started.

He continued: “After a while, he texted me and told me that there was a team looking for a player like me. The first deal, however, flopped because I did not have the appropriate documents. I looked for the documents and when he sent me the second deal, I was ready.”

Mokoro explained that adjusting to a completely new environment came with its own set of challenges both on and off the field.

He grapples with significant challenges, notably the language barrier. Additionally, the late sunset presents another stark difficulty.

Unlike Kenya, where the sun reliably sets around 6 pm, Mokoro experiences prolonged daylight, disrupting accustomed routines and affecting sleep patterns.

Despite challenges, the halfback was grateful for the kindness and warmth of his immediate surroundings which included his new teammates and the coaching staff.

“The main challenge is the language barrier, weather is very cold, sometimes it's 10pm and the sun is still scorching. You have to sleep early to wake up early. So I have to close my curtains and convince my mind that it is night time.

I am one month and a week old here. My stay here is amazing. My teammates are welcoming. I have met players from different countries; Chile, Netherlands, Argentina, Turkey, and it’s a great experience,” he told Mozzart Sport.

He has set clear and focused objectives, with his foremost goal being to secure a position in the starting squad.

“My goal is to start first. My position has a lot of competition and I have to prove myself worthy. Guys here are skillful, they understand their positional roles. These guys went through an age grade system while we started our rugby while in high school,” he offered.

He went ahead to thank his mother club; Quins, for giving him an opportunity to showcase his skills and land that once-in-a-lifetime deal, noting that he was forever grateful.

On his side, Quins head coach Paul Murunga lauded the youngster for the great steps made. He, however, emphasized the importance of reciprocal exchanges, highlighting the need for international players to also come and play in Kenya and bring the experience to their mother clubs.

“We have four players now in Romania. It is good for us to make sure that the players are exposed. The only challenge is that they need to come back home and play at some point. If they play international and they are not helping at club level, then it does not benefit us. It is good for them to play international, make money and be happy,” Murunga offered.

Other players in Romania include Ian Njenga, Geoffrey Okwach, and Malcolm Onsando.