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Okwemba leads Kisumu in glory quest against former side
What you need to know:
- Former Kisumu player Fredrick Maube and former KCB player Daniel Okwe handled the forwards with Dick Osano and Okwemba handling the backs.
- “I respect Okwemba as my senior but my players want it more,” said Shikanda, who attributed his team’s good performance this season to depth.
- However, Okwemba and Shikanda said that they will have to recruit more quality players if they are to measure up to the big wigs in Kenya Cup next season.
There will be no love lost between Kisumu Rugby Football Club coach Howard Okwemba and his former side Western Bulls when they clash in the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Championships final at Kakamega Showground on Saturday.
Both sides stormed back to the Kenya Cup after winning their semi-final matches last weekend, but they will be battling for the Championship bragging rights.
Western Bulls beat United States International University-Africa (USIU-A) 22-16 at the varsity’s ground, while Kisumu needed an extra time penalty to beat Catholic Monks 14-11 at Catholic University, Lang’ata grounds to all win and ease through to the championship final and with it also next year’s Kenya Cup.
With only one season at the Lakeside club, Okwemba has managed to turn around the club’s fortunes and guide them back to the Kenya Cup for the first time since the 2013/14 season.
Kisumu and Western Bulls head into the final virtually even on strength, having drawn 10-10 in Kisumu in the first leg before Kisumu triumphed 9-8 at the Bull Ring in Kakamega.
When Okwemba left to join Kisumu, Bramwell Shikanda, who was then the team manager at Western Bulls got elevated to take over at the Bull Ring.
Okwemba has predicted total rugby with both teams enjoying sets of quality forwards and backs as Shikanda cautioned Kisumu that his charges will be ruthless at home.
“I know emotions will run high especially after we beat them at the Bull Ring but we are ready for the partisan crowd,” said Okwemba, who won Kenya Cup as a player with Kenya Commercial Bank three years in a row in 2005, 2006 and 2007.
Okwemba explained that a bunch of committed players, astute technical bench and supportive management were the driving factors behind Kisumu’s return to the Kenya Cup.
“I had many experienced players who understood the game hence making things easier for me,” said Okwemba. “My technical bench had former players that made coordination easy to witness a turnout of 95 per cent at training sessions.”
Former Kisumu player Fredrick Maube and former KCB player Daniel Okwe handled the forwards with Dick Osano and Okwemba handling the backs.
“I respect Okwemba as my senior but my players want it more,” said Shikanda, who attributed his team’s good performance this season to depth.
However, Okwemba and Shikanda said that they will have to recruit more quality players if they are to measure up to the big wigs in Kenya Cup next season.
