Menengai Oilers winger and Kenya 7s player Dennis Abukuse has expressed confidence that South Coast Pirates will pick themselves up and earn promotion back to the top tier.
He believes the Pirates are a formidable club deserving of their place in the league despite their relegation over the weekend in their debut season.
In their final match played at home at Seacret Grounds, the Pirates were defeated by the Oilers 0-35 on Saturday evening, sealing their relegation.
With only nine points from two victories in their 11 regular-season matches during the 2024/25 season, their survival in the top tier was not secured.
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Despite the Oilers’ victory, which earned them a spot in the quarterfinals where they will face KU Blak Blad, Abukuse reflected on the intensity of the match.
He acknowledged that while the Pirates were a strong team, a few lapses in their performance gave the Oilers the chance to capitalize.
“Regarding today’s game, it was messy. I have never experienced such a tough match like the one against the Pirates. Both the fans and players showed incredible determination.
I really admired how they carried themselves; they just had a few small mistakes that we exploited. Overall, they played very well,” he stated after the match.
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South Coast Pirates to come back stronger
Abukuse further added that despite the Pirates’ relegation, he is optimistic that they will return to the top tier as soon as possible, having learned valuable lessons from their first season in the league.
“Although they have been relegated, I firmly believe that next time they will be back and give their best performance. They have learned from their mistakes in this inaugural season.
They should regroup in the championship, rebuild, and I’m confident they’ll emerge stronger,” he explained.
Abukuse’s sentiments were echoed by Menengai Oilers head coach Gibson Weru, who also believes that the Pirates will rebuild and return stronger.
“I’m pleased with today’s performance, but at the same time, I’m a bit disappointed for the Pirates. They put up a strong fight and deserved more this season, but that’s the nature of the sport. I know they willl regroup, reboot, and come back better,” Weru said after the match.
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