Strathmore Leos coach blames players' attitude after loss to Impala

Strathmore Leos head coach Willis ‘Foxxy’ Ojal has attributed his side’s narrow 23–20 defeat to Impala RFC to an attitude problem within the squad, following their Kenya Cup clash on Saturday, 31 January, at the Impala Grounds.

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The Leos came into the encounter in better form, sitting fifth on the log with 15 points and fresh from a hard-fought 34–31 victory over Daystar Falcons.

However, a slow start proved costly as they committed a series of unforced errors in the first half, which Impala punished to race into a 23-point lead by the break.

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Although Strathmore mounted a strong second-half response and kept Impala scoreless after halftime, the visitors were unable to overturn the deficit, eventually losing by three points.

Speaking to Mozzart Sport after the loss, a visibly frustrated Foxxy did not mince his words.

“A loss is a loss, and it’s never a good thing. We can try to take positives from it, but the defeat overshadows everything.

Yes, we played better rugby in the second half, and Impala didn’t score any points after the break, but it’s still a very bitter pill to swallow,” Foxxy said.

The tactician was candid in his assessment of the underlying issues, pointing to mentality rather than tactics or personnel.

“For me, it’s largely an attitude issue. There is a sense of entitlement, thinking it’s our right to win and believing we’re better, while forgetting that the opposition also trains hard. It’s a mental thing,” he said.

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Foxxy also expressed concern over Strathmore’s growing habit of leaving themselves with too much to do late in matches.

“The narrow margins are a concern. This is the first game we have not picked up a bonus point from scoring four tries.

We have been working on our defense because while we score a lot of tries, we also concede too many. There’s still a lot to fix, especially defensively,” he explained.

Strathmore were missing several key players, including Nygel Amaitsa and Victor Mola, while others, like Amon Wamalwa and Gabriel Ayimba, were deployed out of their preferred positions. Even so, Foxxy was unwilling to use the absentees as a justification for the loss.

“That’s not an excuse. When others get an opportunity, that’s when they should step up and perform even better. Anyone given a chance has to prove they deserve to be there,” he said.

With the Kenya Cup taking a two-week break, the Leos will use that window to right their wrongs before welcoming struggling Kisumu RFC on Saturday, 21 February.