Menengai Oilers take positives from impressive Kenya Cup debut

Giant killers Menengai Oilers is the team of the moment in the just concluded preliminary round of the competitive Kenya Cup league.

And the team’s 34-24 pronounced victory against the vastly experienced Stanbic Mwamba, was a shocker to the black shirts.

According to head coach Gibson Weru, the victory was meant to send a strong signal to their established rivals in the league that come next year they would not have their way easily.

“In the next Kenya Cup season it will no longer be business as usual.”

“Menengai Oilers want to change the face of Kenya rugby. We want to introduced an entirely appealing and exciting rugby and I believe we have what it takes to change the old school of rugby entertainment,” said Weru.

He added: “That is our focus and hard work starts now.”

And what a brilliant way to end the league at their newly adapted Nakuru ASK showground!

Coach Weru was lost for words after the final whistle as jubilant home fans poured into the dusty pitch hugging him and the players for job well done.

“It is an amazing finish of the Kenya Cup. I never had any doubt when we started the league that this club shall slay some of the rugby giants and today I am excited the boys have lived to the dreams of the club,” said coach Weru.

The former sevens flanker said the victory was a culmination of hard work that started in earnest in 2016 when the team which is sponsored by the giant Menengai Refineries was born.

Weru said the victory against Stanbic Mwamba has set a high bar for the young side to prepare well for the next season.

“There is no time to rest.. We must go back to our drawing board and review the season and rectify the mistakes we made. Our target was to finish at least at position seven but we slipped to eighth position,” said an elated Weru.

However, he said the club will organise for a massive celebration victory to honour the players even as they plan to work hard and improve on their weak areas.

“The most amazing thing about Menengai Oilers is that it is made of young players who just finished high school and they have fitted in our system so well. This tells you how far we can go next season,” said Weru.

He announced that in the 29th edition of the Great Rift 10-a-side rugby tournament slated for the Easter weekend at Nakuru Athletics Club, he will give young players a chance to prove themselves against the big boys of Kenya rugby as the club is composed of 40 players.

“We want to expose our raw talents so that they can gauge themselves as we plan for the next season,” said Weru.

The emerging dominance of Menengai Oilers now means Nakuru which has been represented in the Kenya Cup by perennial campaigners Nakuru RFC popularly known as Wanyore, has a new giant in the making.
Interestingly, the two clubs are sponsored by Menengai Refineries and their sibling rivalry is expected to shape the game in the rugby mad region.