Five legs, across five counties in seven weeks and the stage was set for the final round of the 2019 Stanbic National sevens series, the Driftwood sevens, in the city of Mombasa.
With all the five legs living up and even exceeding expectations, the pressure was on the Mombasa Rugby Club to deliver a fitting end to what has been one of the most exciting sevens seasons in recent times, they did not disappoint. So what stood out about the 2019 Driftwood 7s?
1. The turn out – While Mombasa has over the years been a favourite destination for rugby fans, this year those numbers almost doubled from the previous editions. It was great to see such crowds over the two days. Credit to the organisers for properly marketing the tournament.
2. The ending that could have been – Heading to the Driftwood sevens, Top Fry Nakuru RFC, Stanbic Mwamba and KCB all had a chance of winning the overall series title. While most looked forward to a close race to the title on day two, it was all decided at the end of day one as both Kulabu and the Wanyore failed to make it to the cup quarter finals, thus handing the series title to KCB.
3. The return of Quins and Impala – After what has been a tough series for the Ngong road neighbours, it was refreshing to see them both finishing on a high, and setting up a derby in the Cup semi final, where Impala edged out Quins 12-10. Impala would go on to give eventual winners KCB a real run for their money, before losing 26-21 with Quins finishing in third.
The same can be said for Kabras who finished in fifth, after struggling through out the series.
4. The Pedigree of KCB – It is very easy to fight your way up when you are down, it is when you are already at the top, that things get tricky. When KCB faltered in Prinsloo, it looked like the series title would be wrestled from their grip, but back to back titles in Christie and Driftwood saw the Lions deservedly win the 2019 Stanbic National Series.
I will draw your attention to the Christie sevens semi final and cup final against Mwamba and Nakuru and the cup final at Driftwood, as a testament to the side’s pedigree. But perhaps to crown it all was even after winning the series title after Day one in Mombasa, they still played like a side that had everything to play for on Day two.
5. The Stalwarts – While this series will largely be remembered for all the young talents that made their mark, I would like to single out a few stalwarts of the game that keep aging like a fine Whiskey.
Stanbic Mwamba’s Collins Injera, KCB’s Andrew Amonde, Oscar Ouma, Edwins Makori and Philip Kwame of Nakuru, Davis Makori of Impala, Patrice Agunda and Willy Ambaka of Quins. Hawa ndio wazee wa kazi…
The Driftwood sevens will go down as one of the best tournaments in the series, like I mentioned, it was a fitting way to draw the curtains on the 2019 Stanbic National Sevens series, even with the funny weather.
KWISHA… Nimeruka Nje!!!
