Strathmore Leos Bruson Madigu fends off KCB's Peter Kilonzo and Bill Omondi during a past match/HANDOUTStrathmore Leos head coach Willis Ojal says strengthening defensive organisation and mental resilience will be critical as the varsity side looks to steady its Kenya Cup campaign following a mixed start to the season.

The Madaraka-based outfit face champions Kabras RFC on Friday in a rearranged Kenya Cup fixture, with Ojal stressing that lessons must be learned from last weekend’s heavy defeat to Menengai Oilers.

“We were competitive for the first 30 minutes against the Oilers before we fell apart and conceded several points. We have gone back to the drawing board to ensure we bounce back in our subsequent matches,” said Ojal.

The Leos have so far recorded two wins and two losses, beating Blak Blad and Nondies 32–20 in both encounters, but suffering heavy defeats to KCB (72–14) and Menengai Oilers (66–8).

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Ojal acknowledged that squad disruption has been a challenge after Gabriel Ayimba, Nigel Amaitsa, and Victor Mola were called up to the national sevens side, Shujaa, who are currently in South Africa for a high-performance camp in Cape Town.

“It’s not easy because we have lost key players who were integral to the 15s side, but we soldier on and look at the next available options,” noted Ojal.

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In response, Strathmore have bolstered their squad by re-signing Andrew Matoka from Impala RFC, while also adding unattached players Francis Chaz, Abdulmalik Mboko, Regan Juma, and Maxwell Ongaria.

The coach believes the five signings will significantly strengthen squad depth and increase competition for places. “We have players in the Kenya Sevens setup who will be involved in World Division Two for most of the year, so depth is essential if we are to meet our targets this season,” he said.

After the Kabras fixture, the Leos face Daystar Falcons in a varsity derby before clashes against Impala, Kisumu RFC, and Masinde Muliro, though Ojal insists the team will maintain a match-by-match focus.

“I don’t want to look too far ahead. The league is competitive, and while some fixtures may look favourable on paper, we will treat every opponent with respect and aim to be competitive in each match,” he added.

Meanwhile, following the Kabras encounter, the team will travel to Kisumu to attend the burial of Lock Felix ‘Chano’ Odhiambo, who died in a road accident in Nairobi on December 31.