Have we all taken a breath from the rollercoaster that was the 2026 National Sevens Circuit? It has been eight weeks of action, across six legs spread across the country, from Nakuru, Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa, Embu, and back again to Nairobi.
Six weekends of high-octane action both on and off the field, perhaps fittingly ending with a 24-minute battle between the top two sides in the men’s category, Kabras and KCB, in the bronze final at the season-ending Christie Sevens.
The two had traded blows throughout the season like prime heavyweight boxers, with KCB landing the first blow in Nakuru, Kabras replying in Kisumu, KCB getting one over in the capital, with Kabras returning the favour at the coast, and KCB landing the latest punch in Embu. Interestingly, at the time of that bronze final, KCB had already claimed the circuit’s main gong, but they just had to have the last say in this rivalry.
The women’s category was a bit more straightforward, with Mwamba Ladies wrapping up the circuit title with a leg to spare…but not without its surprises, more of that later.
But what stood out this year? Here are a few things that did stand out for me, hope you will also share yours in the comments section.
The Competition
Apart from the battle at the top in the men’s category, there was plenty of competition across the table to the very end. Out of the 22 teams that participated in this year’s Division One competition, only three made the quarter-finals in all six legs, KCB, Kabras, and Daystar. In the new-look second division, a total of nineteen sides out of the 56 that participated made the cup quarter-finals at least once, including the likes of Nandi Bears in Nakuru and Kisii Poly in Kisumu.
In the women’s competition, which was played across five legs for the first time, the rise of the Quins Queens, who went on to win in Embu, Kiambaa, Pioneer Ladies, Mwira Eagles, all fed into the competition in the category, with some interesting scorelines to show.
The Standout Teams
There was probably a different standout team from each leg, but if I was to pick one for the circuit, it definitely would be Kiambaa Ladies, they stormed the series from the first leg in Nakuru straight to the cup final and never looked back. The team eventually finished fourth overall, on 72 points, having played a leg less than the teams above them and finishing inside the top three places at every tournament they played in.
Apart from the numbers, Kiambaa’s style of play is what caught my attention, their skill level was something to admire, they took us back to Kenya’s Rugby DNA, fearless, free-flowing rugby.
The second team would be the NYS Spades in the men’s first division, having started the season as an invitational team at Prinsloo Sevens, giving the eventual circuit winners KCB a run for their money. The servicemen went on to finish third in the second division in Kisumu, before finally earning promotion after the Kabeberi Sevens. They announced their return to the big boys table with a quarter-final berth in Mombasa, after topping their pool which featured Mwamba, MMUST and last year’s circuit runners-up Strathmore, without losing a game.
The Spades went on to cement their place in the first division, making it to two other quarter-finals, in the next three legs. Their never-say-die attitude, little respect for the ‘bigger’ sides, were their cornerstones, backed by their fitness. In the words of a famous coach, “Hao wasee ni wa fit ka Wildebeest msee…” With a little more skill, who knows how much further they would have gone.
Other sides that stood out for me were the Quins Queens, winning in Embu, Kilifi RFC and Mombasa RFC in Mombasa, Kisumu RFC, the kings of the underworld Zetech Oaks, Nondies when they decided to play, a special mention to Mwamba RFC and the Menengai Oilers who seemed to get better with every leg, eventually winning at Christie 7s. On the other side, Strathmore failed to hit a consistent note through the season, from highs of a cup final to finishing in the bottom three in Mombasa. Nakuru, Impala (men and ladies) and the Monks were the others who I thought could have done more.
Officiating
The Elephant in the room, isn’t it? Well, officiating has been an issue, whether real, imagined, or blown out of proportion, depending on who you ask. The thing about officiating worldwide is that it can never be perfect, but it can be better.
It is time we progress the conversation from, “The Referees are biased, bogus, etc.” to “What can we do as a sport to improve the level of officiating?” A big ask, but it is one way we can improve, what investment goes to referees, or do we leave them to fend for themselves like ‘sudhes?’
Rugby is a complex sport, and officiating it in real time must be a herculean task, but in various instances, referees made calls that left much to be desired. The referees need to be more consistent, not calling this now, and something else later.
Finally on this, there were isolated cases of people abusing referees, even threatening physical harm, lets not be those people, hii mchezo mpeleke ball! A challenge maybe to us who watch from the sidelines, let’s make an effort to learn, appreciate the laws, it is more fun that way, try it.
The Sherehe
Sevens rugby is a festival first, then rugby after… and what a party it was off the pitch, not only during the after-parties, but throughout the day in the stands, as fans danced, cheered, sang, waved their flags and placards, building up to the dunda!
What Sevens does brilliantly is attract new fans, backed by the festival atmosphere it creates, which in turn brings with it sponsors, which explains why sevens attracts more of them than the actual game. The challenge has always been converting this to the actual game, fifteen-a-side.
The Content
The content from this series has been the best yet, the only other that might come close would be the 2019 circuit, but this year’s takes the cake by the sheer amount and variety of content generated.
From the live stream courtesy of title sponsor SportPesa, ensuring that the games are watched across the globe, to the circuit’s media team, who had live content repositories at every leg for media consumption. There was someone creating content everywhere you looked before, during, and after the tournaments, this would then carry on even after the legs, highlight reels, short-form content, photos, statistics, written content, think pieces, and even audio notes. It was a beautiful sight to see!
A special mention to the players and officials who always made themselves available to field questions throughout the tournament. Something else that makes our circuit special is how you can easily interact with players at any time.
The Fans
The backbone of the series, and turn up they did! Whether for the game or for the afters, fans showed up and turned up, they rallied each other, paid for tickets, bought from the on-ground vendors, and enjoyed themselves thoroughly. The banter was A1, it even got players jumping in for the fun of it! We have the first part right, as mentioned earlier, the challenge has always been how we convert these fans to follow the actual game.
Something that also caught my eye was the deliberate efforts made towards safeguarding by KRU, having a safeguarding officer/department at each leg who not only look after the players but also the welfare of fans.
A big shout-out to all the sponsors who supported the game from SportPesa, Tusker, KCB, Capital FM, Coca-Cola, Amara, Tessen…I could go on and on, the thank-you posters after each leg were packed to the brim. It was great to see, again the challenge is transforming these into the real game.
To all the officials, volunteers, suppliers who made this circuit possible, we thank you. And to the stars of the show, the players, who put their bodies on the line, put the hard work in for close to 14 weeks, maybe more, asanteni sana, may your efforts never go unappreciated, nyi ndio wale wasee!
I won’t go into ranking players, but top of mind, these are some of those who caught my eye outside the household names, Glacious Owino (Oilers), Ramadhan Masete (Quins), Harrison ‘Muaav’ Mauve (Kisumu), Arnold Agonda (Daystar), Tracy Montex (Mwamba Ladies), Catherine Elizabeth (Quins Queens), and Diana Nyambura (Kiambaa).
A hat tip to all host clubs who worked round the clock to ensure they successfully hosted their individual events, a special mention to the team in Mombasa, Driftwood iliweza!
Bring on the Safari 7s!
KWISHA… Nimeruka Nje!!
