Hope at last? Girls rugby sevens makes return to nationals
Jamilla Khasowa (with the ball), of Bushiangala Girls High School from Western Region, is tackled by Elain Khavere of St Maurice Girls High School from Western Region during their Rugby Sevens match at the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association Term Two Games at The Bull Ring ground in Kakamega County on August 8, 2023. St Maurice won 10-0.
What you need to know:
- Mwira started their campaign with a 10-0 win over Bushiangala courtesy of tries from Lillian Rapongo and Elizabeth Nafula.
- Francis Silenje, the rugby sevens organiser at these championships, said they reintroduced the sport to ensure gender parity.
The future of women rugby in Kenya looks bright after the shorter version of the game made its return to this year’s Secondary Schools Term Two National Games which began Tuesday at the Kakamega High School.
Girls’ rugby sevens was a late inclusion to the annual championships which feature football, volleyball, boys’ rugby sevens, 3x3 basketball and racquet games.
Girls’ rugby sevens was introduced to the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association (KSSSA) calendar in 2015 as an exhibition.
Nyanza Region’s Barchando Girls High School were the inaugural exhibition winners, beating Nairobi’s Olympic Secondary School in the final and Maono Educational Centre (Nairobi) finishing third.
However, it failed to return the following year and slowly faded away as KSSSA and Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) struggled to salvage it. However, there is hope with 16 teams, just like in 2015 taking part in the game alongside the boys.
Fans were treated to thrilling action, tackles and tries as the first day of rugby sevens action got underway on Tuesday at the Kakamega ASK showground (bullring).
Sixteen boys’ and girls’ teams divided in four pools each will battle for the next two days to determine the winners. Western Region’s Koyonzo Boys High School are the boys’ national champions.
In the girls’ event, Western Region has the lion’s share of teams at four led by champions St Maurice Mwira Secondary school, Eregi Girls Secondary School, Bushiangala Secondary School and Bishop Sulumeti Girls High School.
Four of the Eregi players are with the Kenyan team taking part in the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago.
Nyanza Region has Koru Girls Secondary School and Nyamira Girls Secondary School, Canon Kituri Secondary School and Paul Harris High School representing Coast. Eastern Region representatives are Nkuene High School and Kivandini Secondary School.
Jomo Kenyatta Girls High School and Gilgil Secondary School are from Rift Valley Region, while National Hidden Talent Academy Secondary School and Sterling Silver High School are from Nairobi.
Mwira coach Christine Akinyi hopes the organisers will get it right this time with so much talent available.
“We thought that it would grow after it was started in 2015, but it died. This time it is our prayer that they have put in place mechanisms to ensure that it grows and becomes a permanent fixture in the school games calendar,” she told Nation Sport.
“I started rugby in Mwira in 2018 with the boys, before introducing it to the girls just this year and I can tell you the response has been amazing. I have such a large squad but could only come with 14 players,” she added.
Mwira started their campaign with a 10-0 win over Bushiangala courtesy of tries from Lillian Rapongo and Elizabeth Nafula.
Francis Silenje, the rugby sevens organiser at these championships, said they reintroduced the sport to ensure gender parity.
“We have talent around the country and it is only fair that we give them an equal chance. We hope more schools will take it up because it is here to stay,” he said.
