T. NashipaeVictor Mola's Takeaways from U20 Trophy and Prinsloo 7s Strategy
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 03.08.23. | 19:13
Mola was part of the Kenya Chipu team that competed in the World Rugby U20 trophy
Kenya U20 national team Chipu's winger Victor Mola Odhiambo is looking to apply the knowledge and diverse experiences he garnered from the World Rugby U20 Trophy that was held at the Nyayo National Stadium to propel Strathmore Leos to greatness.
Chipu settled for sixth position in the tournament that ended on July 30. Their performance in the tournament was a rollercoaster of emotions. They kicked off their campaign with a narrow 34-25 defeat against Samoa in the opening match. They then put up a valiant fight against Spain but succumbed to a 48-18 loss.
The youngsters then rallied back with determination, securing a hard-fought 22-16 victory over Hong Kong to earn them a third-place finish in Pool B. They would however settle for sixth place after losing 64-10 to U20 Barthes Cup defending champions Zimbabwe.
According to Mola, the outing was a learning experience for Chipu who got exposed to high-intensity matches. The speedster will be keen to showcase the skills learnt in Nairobi come Prinsloo 7s.
“I learnt teamwork and confidence. We had everything right but things did not work in our favor,” Mola offered.
Mola who bagged the 2022 Dala 7s Most Promising Player award with Kisumu RFC has been in sensational form this circuit. He however left the lakeside for Strathmore Leos.
He scored an impressive 11 tries for Leos in the past two legs. His fine-form also stemmed from playing alongside an experienced squad. Mola plays alongside the self-proclaimed King George Ooro whose performance in the HSBC World 7s Series was impressive.
The squad also has Brunson Madigu who was awarded the Top Try Scorer accolade for his outstanding performance in Dala. He crossed the line six times, contributing to Leos’ third-place finish. The Leos also enjoy the services of Matoka Matoka who missed the Dala 7s trip but turned up in Mombasa.
“Having to play with some of the all-time best rugby players in Kenya who I've played with quite some long time inspires me to keep fighting,” Mola disclosed.
The 18-year-old was part of the Kenya Rugby League National Team that made its international debut with a 26-6 loss to Ghana in the Middle East Rugby League Championship semi-final played at the Legon Stadium, University of Accra, Ghana.
Strathmore Leos look dangerous in this circuit. They settled for third-place in Dala but bowed out of title contention in Driftwood after failing 17-7 to KCB Rugby in the quarterfinals.
They will be looking to pick up from where they left in the 2022 Prinsloo 7s where they qualified for the final stage but went down 12-7 to Menengai Oilers.
The 2009 Prinsloo 7s winners been placed in Pool B that sees them face Mwamba RFC, Daystar Falcons, and Zetech Oaks. They will be keen to impress.
About 2023 Prinsloo 7s
Mwamba are the most successful team in the tournament’s history with five titles to their name, winning the first two editions in 2007 and 2008 before adding more titles in 2010,2011 and 2019.
KCB are a close second on four titles. However, they are the only team at the tournament to have pulled off a three-peat, winning in 2012, 2013 and 2014 before adding their fourth title in 2017.
Homeboyz are two time winners of the tournament, having won it in 2016 and 2018 while hosts Nakuru (2015), city rivals Menengai Oilers (2022) and Strathmore Leos ( 2009) round off the list of winners at the Prinsloo 7s.
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