- Nondies finished fourth in the regular season to secure a Kenya Cup playoffs spot, while Quins trailed them in fifth place.
- Nondies will have the home advantage, hosting Quins at the Ngong Racecourse, where they meet for the second time this season.
- KU Blak Blad will be seeking a semifinal spot when they travel to Nakuru to face Menengai Oilers.
Kenya Harlequins head coach Paul Murunga is confident his team will overpower Nondies in the Playoffs and advance to the Kenya Cup semifinals when the two sides meet at the Ngong Racecourse on Saturday evening in a highly anticipated Ngong Road derby.
In the regular season, Harlequins finished fifth on the log with 34 points after winning six out of their 11 matches, losing five, and earning 10 bonus points.
They trailed Nondies, who secured the fourth position with one point more, having won seven matches and losing only one, with both teams securing spots in the playoffs.
When these two teams met in the regular season during match week five, Nondies emerged victorious, narrowly defeating Harlequins 26-24.
Play to win Ksh408M SportPesa MJP.
Murunga Confident of edging out Nondies
Despite losing to Nondies twice, Harlequins’ coach, Murunga, emphasized that his team has spent the past week meticulously preparing to ensure a more effective approach this time around.
“Tomorrow, we’re facing Nondies again. We lost to them in our previous encounters. This season, we were narrowly defeated by two points in the last minute, and I recall last year we also lost in the last minutes.
We had a break last week, which gave us the time to train and analyze our previous performances. We have made adjustments and are now in a stronger position to approach this game,” Murunga explained to KRU Media.
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He further stated that as this is a knockout match, they will capitalize on any opportunity to score.
He expressed confidence in his team’s scrummaging and set-piece capabilities, hoping to make the most of these areas during the match.
“It’s a knockout game for us, and we’ll take any points we can get. We willl go for every opportunity, especially with the set-pieces. I know our scrums are stronger, our lineouts are solid, and we can exploit their weaknesses in these areas. If we can control the set-pieces, we will be able to unleash our attacking game and put them under pressure,” he added.
The winner of this match will face Kabras Sugar, who secured an automatic semifinal spot after finishing first in the regular season with an unbeaten record.
Nondies will be hoping to progress past the playoffs and seek vengeance against Kabras, who eliminated them at the same stage last season.
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Oilers vs KU Blak Blad
Meanwhile, KU Blak Blad will travel to Nakuru to take on Menengai Oilers at the ASK Showground in another Kenya Cup playoffs clash.
The winner of this encounter will book a semifinal clash with second-placed KCB. Oilers will be looking to avenge their previous elimination by KCB and aim for a place in the Cup finals.
In the Championship, the race for promotion to the Kenya Cup intensifies with thrilling playoff matchups.
Zetech Oaks will host JKUAT Cougars in a crucial clash, while Catholic Monks will face off against Homeboyz RFC.
The winners of these matches will advance to the semifinals to face MMUST RFC and Daystar Falcons, who qualified directly after finishing in the top two spots in the regular season, bringing them closer to securing a place in next season’s Kenya Cup.
Kenya Cup Playoffs Fixtures
Nondies vs Harlequins – Ngong Racecourse – 4:00 PM
Menengai Oilers vs Blak Blad – ASK Grounds, Nakuru – 4:00 PM
Championship Playoffs
JKUAT Cougars vs Zetech Oaks
CUEA Monks vs Homeboyz RFC