The much-anticipated clash of the titans at the top of the ongoing Kenya Cup Rugby 15s table was postponed due to a heavy downpour as Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) RFC hosted Kabras Sugar on Saturday at the KCB Grounds in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
Centre referee Kevin Wambugu, assisted by Marlynne Injehu and Brian Nyakundi, had no choice but to stop the match due to an unplayable surface when the scores were tied at 10-10 after defending champions Kabras had equalised.
KCB head coach Andrew Amonde, however, says the situation does not faze him and that his team will take the bull by the horns when the match is replayed.
“It’s unfortunate that the game had to be postponed due to bad weather. The safety of the players comes first, but we had them. We are looking forward to squaring it out with them,” said a pumped-up Amonde, who rued missed chances and promised a showdown with Carlos Katywa’s men on a rescheduled date.
Amonde’s charges, who last won the Kenya Cup in 2021 after the COVID-19 pandemic, are pushing for a historic ninth title with two games left in the season. They face a must-win match against varsity side Daystar next and will then await the Kenya Rugby Union’s verdict on the rescheduled fixture against the sugar millers.
Defending champions Kabras, on the other hand, are chasing a fourth consecutive title and a fifth in the club’s history. They are currently top of the table with 45 points from nine matches played, the same tally as Menengai Oilers, who mauled Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) 48-3 in their tenth match of the season.
KCB are third on the log with 43 points, just two behind the table leaders, while Strathmore Leos, who defeated Nakuru RFC 27-20, sit fourth with 31 points after ten matches.
Kenyatta University (KU) BlakBlad are fifth with 23 points from nine matches. However, they could not add to their tally as their weekend clash against ten-time Kenya Cup champions Impala RFC was also postponed due to the heavy rains.
Daystar Falcons, who lost 40-20 to Nondescripts (Nondies) RFC, have 21 points and are sixth after ten games, the same points as seventh-placed Kenya Harlequins, who beat bottom-placed Kisumu RFC 27-11.
Nondies are eighth with 19 points after nine games, one point behind Nakuru, who are ninth with 18 points after ten matches. Impala sit tenth with 12 points from nine games.
MMUST occupy 11th place with 10 points from nine matches, while Kisumu are bottom of the table in 12th place with eight points from ten matches.
ESS Eastern Conference Results
KCB Rugby Club II 53, Kenya Harlequins II 5
Nondescripts II 20, Strathmore Leos II 23
Impala RFC II 8, KU BlakBlad II 61