National wide team Moi University side Arsonists stunned Kenya Cup’s Kenyatta University’s (KU) Blak Blad to win the rugby 7s title at the ongoing Kenya University Sports Federation (KUSF) at the University of Eldoret ground in Uasin Gishu County.
Played in a round robin after five teams registered to compete at the 10th edition championships, Moi and KU both won four matches, drawing one with Arsonists winning the title on point difference.
In a tense final match, marred with violence following the last winning try, Moi managed to squeeze in the final try to draw and went ahead to win on a point difference. Moi gained point difference of 67 against KU’s 62 to earn the title.
During the action parked encounter, Elisha Thuo bagged a brace of tries with another from Brian Titus for the champions while Blad scored through Sospeter Osike and Elvis Otete for a final 17-17 score.
Thuo touched down first before adding extras for 7-0 lead then he bagged the second try and missed the conversion for 12-0 lead but Osike went past the white wash, converting to reduce the score to 12-07 then missed a conversion for 12-12.
Otete failed to convert Claude Kennedy to give KU a 12-17 lead but a quick counter by Titus leveled the score to 17-17 with Arsonists winning on point difference.
Moi captain Stanley Nyarwende said they came into the championships with a clean mind of winning and especially facing off with Blad.
“We wanted to win this title and we have done so. With the final match in round robin against KU, we really wanted to beat them, it was unfortunate that we did not win but we are the champions,” he said.
Rugby 7s results (Round Robin)
- UOE 19-05 Koitalel
- KU 17-07 USIU
- Moi 31-0 Koitalel
- UOE 5-14 KU
- USIU 5-24 Moi
- UOE 19-10 USIU
- Koitalel 0-43 KU
- Moi 17-0 UOE
- USIU 45-0 Koitalel
- KU 17-17 Moi