Kenya Simbas winger Griffin Chao in action during the Rugby World Cup qualifiers against Zimbabwe last year /HANDOUT 

The Super Series rugby championship will return in 2027, Kenya Rugby Union director of fixtures Leslie Mwangale has announced.

Mwangale said the competition’s revival is part of long-term plans to strengthen the Kenya national rugby union team ahead of the 2031 Rugby World Cup qualifiers.

“We are looking at the Super Series being a foundation for the national team and the players who will play for the side as we start with preparations for the next World Cup cycle,” added Mwangale.

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He noted that the tournament’s recent absence was deliberate, with focus shifting to alternative fixtures. “This was not a World Cup qualifying year, hence we opted to go to the Enterprise Cup cross-border fixtures against Ugandan opposition; however, the Super Series is one product we want to revive and see how it can help us going forward with regards to our national team,” he said.

Mwangale stressed the need for consistency once the competition resumes. “Once we start, we don’t want to do it haphazardly, one year it’s there, the next year it’s not, so it needs to be consistent on the calendar. This will help us give the franchises and the coaches time to pick the best available squads to compete in the championship,” he observed.

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The Super Series was last staged in 2024 following a 10-year hiatus, marking the return of a competition first introduced in 2003. Designed as a high-performance elite tournament, it aims to raise standards among top players while providing a structured pathway into the Simbas setup.

 The 2024 edition introduced women’s teams. The men’s competition featured four franchises—Buffaloes, Cheetahs, Lions and Rhinos—drawn from Kenya Cup clubs, while the women’s category saw national players split into Eagles and Jaguars. Matches were played in Kakamega, Nakuru and Nairobi, with the final held at the RFUEA Grounds.

Menengai Cream Cheetahs won the 2024 title after beating KCB Bank Lions 18–10 in the final.