Rugby 7s included in EA games

Rugby Sevens has been included in the East Africa Secondary School Games and will for the first time feature during this year’s edition in Huye, Kigali in August.

Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association secretary general David Ngugi said the regional body had decided to include rugby sevens, which was the only discipline left out of the games after swimming and racquet games were drafted in during last year’s event in Dar es Salaam.

According to Ngugi, who is also the secretary general of the East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association, there was need to include rugby sevens not only to give a fair opportunity to all the disciplines to showcase their talents at the regional games but also help develop the game in the region.

“As a regional governing body, we realized that there was need to develop rugby Sevens just like we were doing with the 15’s,” he said.

Following the inclusion of sevens, Ngugi said that only two teams will represent Kenya in both the abridged version and the traditional 15s championships as opposed to three which has been the case whenever the country is defending a title.

This means that only Laiser Hill Academy and Maseno School, who finished first and second in the 15s at the just concluded National Secondary School Games in Nakuru last week will be represent Kenya at the East Africa Games in Rwanda.

ONLY TWO TEAMS

This now leaves Kakamega High School, Alliance High School, Kangaru, Menengai and St Mary’s Yala, some of the country’s top seven playing teams, to battle for the two tickets left for the Kigali event.

Maseno and Laiser Hill still have an outside chance of making a double if they will be able to raise different set of players to conquer the rest in the sevens field.

Other teams that have booked their ticket to the regional games to be held in Rwanda after the term one games are boys basketball champions Maseno School and Upper Hill.

Kenya will send only two teams to the regional games after losing the title to Tanzania last year. Kenya will have three teams in girls basketball among them champions Shimba Hills, who are also the regional defending champions, St Brigids Kiminini from Nzoia and Mabera from Nyanza, who will be making their maiden appearance.

In hockey boys, national champions Narok High will be joined by St Anthony Kitale and Lenana Secondary, who finished second and third respectively while the girls hockey will see Trans Nzoia mixed, who were the surprise package at the National championships winning the title at their maiden appearance, joined by Sinyolo Girls and Kerugoya Girls at the regional games.

Other disciplines for the regional games will be selected during the Term 2A and Term Two B games set for Aberdares region in Nyeri, and the Metropolitan region in Machakos in June and August respectively.