NYS Spades look to build on win against Homeboyz as they host Kisii in KRU Championship

KRU Championship newbies National Youth Service (NYS) Spades will look to build on their win against Homeboyz last weekend when they host Kisii RFC at their backyard on Thika Road.

NYS Spades coach Martiin Munga said, “This week we have been working on polishing our mistakes and improving on our strengths ahead of the game against Kisii. We are definitely going for a win.”

“We played Kisii Rugby in the Nationwide final, and they beat us 25-24. I expect an equally tough and closely contested game,” he noted.

Last weekend, NYS Spades upset former Kenya Cup side Homeboyz 13-9 in a tightly contested match. 

Speaking on their experience in the second-tier league, Munga said: “The KRU Championship is very physical as compared to Nationwide. It’s also demanding, but we are up to the task.”

He said their main target this season is to survive relegation and seal a playoff slot. Kisii Rugby’s interim coach, Nelvin Lumiti, said: “We go into the game motivated by the fact that we have beaten them before. We want to show that we didn’t win by fluke.”

Kisii narrowly beat Mwamba Rugby 21-19 in their opening game last weekend at Kisii School. At Goan Institute, Mwamba host the struggling Western Bulls at Goan Institute in Nairobi.

A showdown between former Kenya Cup sides South Coast Pirates and United States International University’s Africa (USIU-A) Martials will take centre stage at Seacrest Diani, Kwale County. 

USIU A Martials, under coach Tom Lagat, remain winless in the two games they have played. They will miss the services of Derrick Bisaso and Don Ochieng while Kimeli Humphrey and Paul Kituyi have been cleared to play.

Lagat admitted that Kwale is always a hostile hunting ground. “We have placed ourselves in a position that demands a strong response. After thorough video analysis, we have refined our approach for the Pirates game, and we are fully focused on getting the win,” remarked Lagat.

South Coast Pirates coach Tony Khadambi said: “USIU-A is a well-structured side, very disciplined and has prepared well. The target is to maintain our intensity, cut down on errors, and make Seacrest a tough place for any team to come.

The boys are hungry, and we want to keep the momentum. ”

League leaders, Catholic University of East Africa, also known as  Monks, will entertain Mombasa RFC, while the much-anticipated varsity derby will see Zetech Oaks square off against  Mean Machine, also on Thika Road. 

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology’s (JKUAT) Cougars host Homeboyz RFC in Juja.