Who Can Lift The 2017 Sevens Title? The Permutations.

That this is the most exciting and competitive sevens series we have seen in a long while, is a fact that we can now all agree on.

The series enters its last leg with everything on the line, we saw our first back to back leg finalists and eventually champions at the Christie Sevens, Kabras RFC. Those two wins propelling Kabras, who had been under the radar for most of the series, to the top of the log ahead of Impala.

Heading to Dala Sevens any of the top 6 sides stand a mathematical chance of lifting the series title, they are: Kabras – 85, Impala – 80, Homeboyz – 78, Nakuru – 73, Menengai Oilers – 68 and KCB – 67. So who is hoping for what so that they can be crowned series champions in Kisumu?

The Highly Unlikely…

We’ll start with the least likely of scenarios, For KCB or the Oilers to lift the series title they will have to win the Dala leg while hoping that the teams above them all fail to make it to the cup draw and further not doing any better than the ‘Shield title’ (13th place).

Nakuru’s case looks a bit more realistic, though still a stretch. For the Wanyore, 2 time cup finalists, they will have to lift the Dala sevens title, while hoping that none of the sides above them, especially Kabras do not progress past the Plate (5th place) semi final. A cup win will see Nakuru’s points tally hit the 95 point mark, this scenario gets even more interesting if Kabras bow out in the Plate semi, which will also mean they finish on 95.

Oscar Ouma skinning another one (Photo – Tusker Lager)

The More Realistic…

From this point, we enter the realm of reality where it gets juicier. For the Djs, they will have to target the ultimate prize to ensure that their fate lies squarely in their hands, although it doesn’t..here is why.

Even though they win the Dala title, they will have to hope that Kabras don’t finish above 4th place, if the sugar men do, the two will be tied on 100 points, where then a tally of all tries in the 6 legs will decide the winner. A DJs win coupled with Kabras’s failure to finish above fourth, will see the Djs defend their sevens title.

Onto the Sarries’ case, for them a cup title will do it for them, only if they don’t play Kabras in the cup final. The Dala title will see Impala hit 102 points, a tally Kabras can better if they make the final. So that cup win for Impala will have to be coupled with Kabras not finishing above 3rd place, if the sugar men do finish in 3rd then Impala and Kabras will finish tied on 102 points and they will have to call on the tries to save the day.

The Dala cup title will make do for the only side going to Kisumu with their fate firmly in their hands, Kabras Sugar. In fact if Kabras make it to the cup final they will be crowned series champions, if they finish in third and Impala fail to win the Dala title, they will be champions.

Take it further if Kabras finish in 4th and neither Impala or Homeboyz are ahead of them, they will be champions. The race for Kabras will be mainly against Impala, with everyone else racing against them.

Whichever way you look at it, we are in for a blockbuster of a weekend, it gets even better when you realise that these 6 sides (well 3 to be honest) are in Pools A,B and C, the three in Pools A and B. Meaning the battle for the title will be fought out at every game.

With the possibility of a tie in points expect teams to run in high scores in an effort to boost their try counts. The possibilities are endless, the above permutations only consider the team in question lifting the cup title, which is what every side plays for anyway. So what happens if all these sides fail to win the title, how does the log look like then?

It is sad that all this action will be served up amidst the prevailing uncertainty in Kisumu, denying most a chance to witness the end to this memorable series. In a perfect scenario we would have changed location or maybe even the date, but we don’t live in a perfect world.

We wish all teams and fans a safe time in Kisumu.

KWISHA…Nimeruka Nje!!!

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Poghie

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