On this day: Remembering Kenya 7s victory in Singapore 7s

Today marks the seventh anniversary of an unforgettable moment in Kenya Rugby history, the day when Shujaa, under the tutelage of the late Benjamin Ayimba and current Harlequins Coach Paul Murunga emerged victorious in the prestigious tournament in 2016.

To mark this iconic day, Mozzart Sport caught up with Andrew Noel Amonde who captained the team to victory, as well as current Shujaa captain Nelson Oyoo who was also part of the team. The key players gave a glimpse of what happened as well as paid tribute to the fallen gaffer.

According to Amonde, what stood out for him was the fact that the world will forever remember the team for that special victory. As the captain, Amonde was privileged to present the trophy to the then Head of State H.E Uhuru Kenyatta.

“The emotions were many; excitement, distraction because it was not an easy journey. The biggest thing for us was we got a reward for something that we had worked really hard for,” Amonde told Mozzart Sport.

However, as he described, the triumph did not come without its challenges. Prior to the final stage, the team had lost to South Africa (24-12), and shared spoils with Scotland (12-12).

“The biggest obstacle was finances. We had gone without allowances, no insurances, we had lost players due to fatigue and injuries as Singapore 7s was the seventh World 7s Series leg,” he revealed.

Having turned up for tournaments severally and not winning a title, Amonde acknowledged that the Singapore 7s win impacted his style of play, motivating him to soar to greater heights.

The veteran has since coached his club KCB Rugby in a number of matches. He was also called upon to be the Shujaa forwards’ coach when the side registered a series of unimpressive results in the ongoing World 7s series.

“I changed the way I played. In the past, we used to turn up for tournaments, but winning was a generally good feeling,” he said.

However, as we remember the historic achievement, we also mourn the ultimately passing away of Coach Ayimba in 2021 due to cerebral malaria. Ayimba left a void in Kenya Rugby which is yet to be filled. His passion for the game, exceptional coaching skills, and his unwavering commitment to the development of rugby in Kenya will forever be remembered.

Kenya 7s captain Nelson Oyoo is familiar with this ordeal;

“Ideally, Ayimba was more of a manager. The main thing that he championed was for players to be in a happy place, at least to have peace of mind, he would encourage us to show us we were bigger than our opponents. He made us believe in ourselves. He always made sure that we had a place, sometimes calling upon his friends to support the team financially,” Oyoo recalled.

Unlike seven years ago when the side’s performance was glittering, Shujaa are now flirting with relegation. Damian Mc Grath’s charges are now placed 13th on the log with 37 points. This means that they will have to chase more than a fifth-place finish in Toulouse and hope for Uruguay and Spain to fail in order for them to avoid relegation. Commenting on this, the Captain said;

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“At that time, we had someone who understood the players because he was a former player, coach, he knew the struggles and how to keep unity in the team. Currently we have so many off-pitch issues that sometimes lead to the bad performance,” he concluded.

For the last leg, Toulouse 7s, Shujaa are placed in Pool A alongside log leaders New Zealand, Uruguay, and Canada. They will be seeking to impress.

Continue resting in peace beloved Benjamin Ayimba Otieno. Forever in our hearts.