Quins' Derrick Shimenga wins the ball during a line-out against Mombasa Sports Club during the Driftwood Sevens/HANDOUT
Kenya Harlequin coach Patrice Agunda has challenged his charges to make a strong start in their pool matches at the Embu and Christie Sevens over the next fortnight.
The Ngong' Road side endured an underwhelming campaign at the Driftwood Sevens, finishing ninth after a difficult opening day.
Read Also
“We had poor starts in the matches against Nondies, then drew with Kabras and lost to Mombasa. The lapses in concentration cost us dearly, so heading to the next tournament we need to be sharp from the first match and avoid playing catch-up,” said Agunda.
Quins drew 17-17 with Kabras Sugar, suffered a shock 22-19 defeat to Mombasa Sports Club and lost 12-0 to rivals Nondescripts on the opening day in Mombasa.
They recovered on the second day, beating Kisumu 29-14 in the classification matches before edging Nakuru 17-7 to finish ninth overall with seven points.
Agunda rued injuries that disrupted his squad in Mombasa, revealing that at one point he had only nine players available.
“At one point we only had nine players available due to injuries sustained, and it left us quite short for the two days. A good number of players will have recovered by the time we go to Embu at the end of the week,” he said.
Brighton Omondi, Zedden Marrow, Charles Kinyanjui and Arthur Olela were among those who picked up injuries.
Despite the disappointing result, Agunda believes Quins can bounce back in Embu.
“We have done our reviews of the last tournament, and we are determined to be better in the next leg and go on a deep run in the tournament,” he said.
“On any day we can beat anyone. We have pushed KCB and Kabras close this season in sevens. I am confident we are learning the lessons quickly and have adapted to the rigours of sevens.”
Quins are joint fourth in the National Sevens Circuit standings with 52 points, level with Daystar Falcons. Agunda said the team is targeting a higher finish in the remaining legs.
“The race for the third spot is open and a competitive tournament can move us up and finish the sevens strongly,” he said.
KCB lead the standings with 76 points, followed by Kabras Sugar on 73 and Oilers on 58.
Quins and Daystar are joint fourth on 52, ahead of Mwamba (45), Nondescripts (41), Strathmore Leos (41), Blak Blad (36) and MMUST (27).
