- Nondies defeated Kenya Harlequins 38-22 in the playoffs to secure a Kenya Cup semifinal spot against Kabras Sugar.
- Menengai Oilers secured their fifth consecutive semifinal appearance after thrashing Blak Blad 38-18.
- The Kenya Cup semifinals will be played on Saturday, March 29th, 2025.
Kenya Harlequins head coach Paul Murunga has pinpointed the areas where his team faltered, allowing Nondies to capitalize and eliminate them from the Kenya Cup 2025 playoffs on Saturday evening at the Ngong Racecourse Grounds.
Nondies, the Kenya Cup record champions, completed a season double over Quins with a 38-22 victory, securing a consecutive spot in the semifinals against Kabras Sugar.
In their pursuit of a semifinal berth, Nondies were awarded a penalty just five minutes into the game, which Bruce Odhiambo calmly converted to give the hosts a 3-0 lead.
However, Quins responded with a brilliant try, featuring a sensational run to the line by Frank Aduda, with Faren Juma successfully converting for a 3-7 lead.
Nondies quickly responded, earning another penalty which Odhiambo converted to reduce the deficit to just one point at 6-7.
Shortly after, Quins were awarded a penalty of their own when Nondies’ backline made an error, and Juma converted, putting Quins ahead at 6-10.
Quins continued to make uncharacteristic mistakes in their backline, leading to more penalties being awarded to Nondies. Odhiambo converted these, giving Nondies the lead at 12-10.
Charles Omondi extended Nondies’ advantage with a try, and Faran added the conversion.
However, just before halftime, Richel Wangila scored for Quins, and Juma’s conversion was successful, leaving Nondies with a narrow 19-17 lead at the break.
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In the second half, Murunga’s side came out strong, scoring a try that put them 19-22 ahead. However, Nondies responded with a try and a successful conversion to regain the lead at 26-22.
With Quins unable to mount a comeback, Callum Oliver’s side sealed the win with an additional 12 points, finishing the match at 38-22 to advance to the next round.
Quins Boss react to the loss
Murunga, reflecting on the loss and the team’s elimination, mentioned that the numerous penalties conceded had allowed Nondies to capitalize.
“First of all, I think we conceded far too many penalties today, and Nondies took full advantage, converting nearly 20 points from them. Our discipline let us down, forcing us to chase the game. We made too many mistakes and could not recover,” the coach explained to SportPesaBlog after the match.
Next, Nondies will travel on Saturday, March 29th, to face Kabras at the Kakamega Showground in the semifinal clash.
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Meanwhile, Menengai Oilers, based in Nakuru, will make their fifth consecutive semifinal appearance after a 38-18 victory against Blak Blad in a playoff match at Nakuru ASK Grounds on the same day.
Gibson Weru’s side has earned a semifinal spot against Oliver Mang’eni’s KCB side next weekend at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka.
Kenya Cup Playoff Results
- Nondies 38-22 Kenya Harlequins
- Menengai Oilers 38-18 KU Blak Blad
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Kenya Cup Semifinals
- Kabras RFC vs Nondies
- KCB Rugby vs Menengai Oilers