Fresh from finishing second at the Kakamega sevens, the last leg of Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) circuit at the Bull Ring in Kakamega county, Division two side Moi University Rugby team, the Arsonists will be using the experience gained to shine at the Chebarbar sevens set for this Saturday at the Eldoret Sports Club.
The tournament has also attracted teams from Uganda led by Entebbe Jaguars who will be chasing the title across the border.
Competing in the first circuit, Moi University lost Division two title to Makueni RFC during the final play and failed to gain an automatic qualification to next season’s top rugby sevens circuit.
But that final play has come with blessings as they will be battling to win the title as the hosts of the event come Saturday, in the one-day event.
Head coach Ali Mbaraka, who is also part of the organizers of the tournament said that the team is ready to challenge other teams in the 12-team tournament.
“As a university, we are ready for the tournament now that we are hosting. This region has not had good rugby for long and teams coming together for the tournament will promote the sport,” said Mbaraka.
He said that the school has been preparing well for the tournament since it was launched last month for the sole purpose of nurturing talents.
“We have very good talents in this region but we lack avenues to promote it to the higher level and such tournaments are very critical for them. Also as a team, we are using such events to prepare them for the next season,” he added.
The tournament will kick off in the morning, with 12 teams, divided into four pools of three teams each. The top two from each pool will proceed to the quarterfinals, then semifinals to the finals.
“We are anticipating the tournament to be played well and five matches par day is not bad for a well prepared team,” he said.
The organizers decided to have a one-day event due to the financial constraints.
Apart from hosts Moi University, their neighbors The University of Eldoret (UOE) popularly called Trojans will be in action, Eldoret RFC, Kibabii University, Kapsabet RFC, Wakulima RFC and Entebbe Jaguars all the way from Uganda among others.