Kenya Harlequins Wins Driftwood 7s in Mombasa
The Kenya Harlequins (Quins) are the winners of the fifth leg of the 2024 Sportpesa7s circuit, the Driftwood 7s after trouncing KCB 15-12 in a hotly contested match Sunday at the Mombasa Sports Club.
Quins got a cash prize of Sh100,000 while KCB received Sh50,000. Last year’s winners, Kabras Rugby Club settled for third place after beating KU BlakBlad 7-5 to walk away with Sh25,000.
Quins with 97 points remain favourites to clinch the overall title of the SportPesa 7s Rugby Circuit going into Prinsloo 7s in Nakuru. Kabras Sugar are second placed with 88 points while KCB is third with 86 points.
Quins have managed to reach the semi-finals of every leg this season and have won two, the other being Ingo 7s in Kakamega.
Quins Captain, Richel Wangila expressed confidence in winning the Prinsloo 7s and overall title of the SportPesa 7s circuit.
“Since the start of the tournament, it wasn’t easy, it was very tough for us because of the weather. It took a bit of time. Our goal is to win the overall national 7s circuit. We look forward to winning the Princeloo in Nakuru,” said Wangila.
NYS 7s emerged the winners in the Division with a cash prize of Sh50,000 prize money. The event attracted huge crowds who came out in large numbers to enjoy the best of Kenyan rugby from the 16 and 20 teams in divisions one and two respectively.
Governor Abdulswamad Nassir said the games were exciting with more than 6000 fans attending the event. He noted that discussions are ongoing with the Kenya Rugby Union to bring more games to Mombasa.
To support teams, the Governor said money from liquor licensing will be used to support rugby and basketball teams. “Over the school holidays there will be a lot of activities going on in Mombasa,” he stated.
Mercy Kabui, a Sportpesa official said the successful tournament reinforces SportPesa’s commitment to 7s Rugby in Kenya while also creating an opportunity for the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) to identify new talent top talent as the teams warm up ahead of the Safari 7s slated for 13th and 14th October.
Kabui stated that the tournament was competitive and they will continue to nurture talents for the players to join the Kenya Rugby Shujaa Team.
“Driftwood 7s remains a unique and crucial leg of the 7S Circuit with one of the best fan experiences of any of the tournaments. I congratulate all the participating clubs and players alike even as we look forward to the final event of the circuit, Prinsloo 7s happening on the 14 and 15 September in Nakuru”, said Kabui.
The Driftwood 7s is part of the larger SportPesa 7s Rugby Circuit, which continues to play an instrumental role in elevating the standard of rugby in Kenya.
Sportpesa is sponsoring the tournament for the second time with Sh16.5M for the KRU National 7s circuits.
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