Collins Injera: Heart, wit, pace and countless tries

What you need to know:

  • Dad and mum at Twickenham stand to see son achieve milestone at highest level of game
  • The World Rugby Sevens Series all-time try scorer is variously described as intelligent, skilful, versatile and virtuous on, off the pitch
  • Teammate and age mate fly-half Biko says Injera is a good leader and fun to be around off the pitch.

Some know him as Collo. Others as Papa Locole. Some call him Chuchu Train. He has scored the most tries in the history of the World Rugby Sevens Series. He is known in pretty much every country in the world, for he is Collins Injera.

The Mwamba Rugby Club and Kenya Sevens icon will forever have the 2015-2016 World Rugby Sevens Series etched in his memory following a fantastic season that saw him score his way into the game’s history books.

The 29-year-old try scoring machine touched down 32 times, bringing his World Sevens Rugby career tally to 235 tries, the highest ever recorded by any player in the history of the Series.

Injera, one of the most popular players in the shorter version of the game, surpassed the previous record set by Argentine legend Santiago Gomez Cora.

Like most rugby players in Kenya, Injera, a father of two, got introduced to the gentleman’s game while doing his KSCE at Vihiga High School.

FAMED FOR AGGRESSION

Following completion of high school in 2005, Injera opted to follow his big brother Humphrey Kayange to Ulinzi Rugby Club which was then famed for its super fit, rugged and aggressive players who thrived in the physicality of the game.

With Ulinzi’s demise in 2007 Injera and his brother Kayange joined Mwamba where their stars rose. Injera was called up to the national sevens team in 2008 by Benjamin Ayimba. The team was then coming of age in the demanding world circuit.

Kenya's Collins Injera runs with the ball during a HSBC Paris Sevens Series rugby match between Kenya and Portugal at the Stade Jean Bouin in Paris on May 13, 2016. PHOTO | THOMAS SAMSON | AFP

He is lightning fast, deceptively strong, and in a twinkle of an eye can create a try from nothing.

“He was actually the strongest player during my stint as Kenya Sevens coach. He could easily bench-press two times his weight in the gym,” says Mitch Ocholla, who trained Injera between 2011 and 2012. A telepathic understanding between of Injera and Kayange gave Ayimba one a lethal attacking dup augmented by the phenomenal Innocent Simiyu, workhorse Ben Nyambu and reliable playmaker Lavin Asego well understudied by Biko Adema.

Coaches and fellow players often describe Injera as an intelligent and a good role model. Ocholla believes Injera is the complete package, as he is extraordinary on the pitch and a great character off the field.

“His leadership skills show that he has become more mature. On the pitch he is versatile. I have seen him play at the wing, centre, scrumhalf and even fly-half. He has a good understanding of the game. You can see young children saying they want to become someone like Injera, which means he is a role model,” adds Ocholla.

France's Virimi Vakatawa (bottom) tackles Kenya's Collins Injera (top) during their cup quarter-final match at the Singapore Sevens rugby tournament on April 17, 2016.

Photo credit: File | AFP

“He is a natural athlete but he is also intelligent. This has heightened his ability to learn new skills and absorb game plans and puts him above the rest. He is a good example of what you can achieve if you put your mind to something.

"You can see that he thrives in everything that he does on and off the pitch. Even when he falls short, his efforts are easy to see,” says John Mbai, Mwamba head coach.

Teammate and age mate fly-half Biko says Injera is a good leader and fun to be around off the pitch.

“We joined the team at the same time in 2007 and debuted together in the Hong Kong Sevens that year. In one of our games, when he ran round a New Zealand winger and went on to score I knew he was going to be an exceptional player. He fights for the team a lot on and off the pitch and has a calm head even when things are thick,” adds Adema.

MAN OF THE MATCH

Injera was named man of the match when Kenya beat Fiji in the Singapore final to clinch their first ever Cup title.

He scored two tries in vastly different styles in the final as underdogs Kenya destroy eventual series champions Fiji 30-7.

He also emerged the fifth best performer in the 2015-2016 season. Only Jasa Veremalua, Osea Kolinisau (Fiji), Seabelo Senatla (South Africa) and Perry Baker (USA) had better statistics than Injera.

The performance chart involved the calculation of total tackles, line breaks, ball offloads and ball carries each player managed for every minute he was on the pitch. His most memorable career tries however came in the London Sevens — the final leg of the 10-stop circuit. The Mwamba winger scored his 230th try in a pool game against Scotland to equal Gomez’s world record.

In the final pool game against France, Injera went down for his 231st try but that was not what caught the attention of the world.

Collins Injera celebrates his World Rugby Sevens Series 231st try at London Sevens on Saturday that made him the all-time top try scorer in the tournament. PHOTO | MARTIN SERAS |

Little known to fans around the world, Injera’s parents were seated in the stands cheering their boy on. At the hooter, Injera dashed to the stands, took off his jersey and handed it to his father before embracing mum and dad in scene that could warm any heart.

The photo of Injera’s father lifting the jersey and showing it to the world went viral within minutes. Not one to lay on his own laurels, Injera is already looking ahead to the Rio Olympic Games in August where Kenya Sevens will be chasing for gold and glory.