Action between Nairobi and Lenana schools at the Nairobi regional final at Jamhuri High school/ HANDOUT
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Nairobi Schools Sevens Combined head coach Michael Kimemia has set his sights on winning the HSBC Age-Grade Under-17 title as the tournament gets underway at Nyayo Stadium from February 13–15.

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Kimemia’s charges are hoping to build on a strong showing at the Safari Sevens in October, where they finished third behind Uganda and Rift Valley.

The coach believes that performance has laid a solid foundation for a title push. “We took the bronze medal in the last tournament, and now we want to build on that performance, reach the final and win it,” Kimemia said.

Preparation has been intensive despite the short turnaround. A provisional squad of 40 players drawn from schools including Upper Hill, Ofafa Jericho, Nairobi School, Lenana and Dagoretti has been training for the past fortnight at the RFUEA Grounds before being trimmed to 26.

“It has been a crash-course programme because the tournament is next weekend,” Kimemia explained. “We’ve had two training sessions and the final one on Sunday. Right now, we are looking at combinations for the event.”

From the 26, a final 13-man squad will be selected to represent Nairobi Schools Sevens Combined at the three-day championship. The competition will feature teams drawn from all Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) regions—Western, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Eastern, Central and Coast—and Kimemia expects a closely fought contest.

“It will be very competitive. Sevens rugby has transformed over the last decade and a half,” he said. “We’ve seen the emergence of new teams, which adds variety to the competition and makes it unpredictable.”

Kimemia, an alumnus of Nairobi School, added that the overall standard of sevens rugby in the country has improved significantly.

“Over the last decade, more regions have acquired qualified coaches, training equipment, kits and balls, and the results are there for everyone to see,” he noted.

Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) development officer Ronald Okoth said the stakes are even higher this year, with places up for grabs in the Kenya Under-18 team earmarked for the Youth Olympics in Dakar later this year.

“There is a lot to play for, both for the boys and the girls, as we look to assemble a provisional squad and eventually field a strong team for the Youth Olympics,” Okoth said.