Catholic Monks players at Cardinal Otunga High School Mosocho during their game against Kisii Rugby/ANGWENYI GICHANA

The Catholic University of East Africa’s (CUEA) Catholic Monks will face Mwamba Rugby in the KRU Championship playoff.

Catholic Monks secured a slot in the semi-finals after a 21-8 win over National Youth Service (NYS) Spades on Saturday at CUEA in Karen.

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In another semi-final, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) Cougars will battle it out with Homeboyz on Saturday.

Homeboyz shocked South Coast Pirates 29-20 in a tightly contested encounter to qualify for the semis. The game was played at Seacrest School in Diani, Kwale County.

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South Coast Pirates finished third on the log and were favourites to win over Homeboyz, who finished sixth in the regular season.

Mwamba Rugby emerged winners of the regular season with 45 points, with JKUAT Cougars second, one point adrift, to bag home semis.

Semi-final winners will qualify for the Kenya Cup in the 2026/27 season to replace Masinde Murilo University of Science and Technology (MMUST) and Kisumu RFC, who were relegated to the second tier.

Catholic Monks coach Simon Jawichire said their clash against the Spades could have gone either way.

“Credit to NYS Spades. They gave us a run for our money. They have improved massively from the last time we met," he said.

“We have not trained as scheduled for the last two weeks, but we now have a week to prepare for the game against Mwamba.”

Spades coach Martin Munga said missed chances, especially some six penalties, cost them.

“We missed six penalties in their 22. I think luck was not on our side because the same kickers have been scoring throughout the season,” he said.

He, however, said reaching the quarterfinal was an achievement.

“Most of my boys are young and were playing in the KRU Championship stage for the first time. I’m looking forward to a better performance next season,” he concluded.

The United States International University Africa (USIU) Martials and Western Bulls have been relegated to the Nationwide League after finishing 11th and 12th, respectively.