- Nakuru defeated Kenya Harlequins 19-17 in the main cup quarterfinals of the first leg of the SportPesa 7s National Circuit, the Driftwood Sevens.
- The tournament is taking place at Mombasa Sports Club over the weekend of July 26–27.
- Nakuru, Strathmore Leos, KCB and Kabras Sugar are through in the SportPesa 7s Mian cup semifinals
Nakuru RFC pulled off a stunning upset against Driftwood 7s defending champions, Kenya Harlequins, eliminating them from the main cup quarterfinals with a 19-17 victory, sealed by a last-minute try on Sunday morning.
Being the second day of the opening leg of the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit, Harlequins appeared poised for victory, holding a 17-14 lead just before added time in the second half.
However, Joseph Njunye delivered a clutch try at the Mombasa Sports Club, propelling Nakuru into the main cup semifinals and sending the reigning champions to battle for fifth place.
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Nakuru struck first blood through Cyprian Ombasso, whose early try was successfully converted.
Just before halftime, Dennis Nyongesa leveled the scores for Quins with a try and conversion, making it 7-7 at the break.
In the second half, Nyongesa once again crossed the whitewash to give Quins a 12-7 lead, with a successful conversion extending their advantage to 14-7.
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Nakuru responded through Chris Onjwang, who scored a crucial try and tied the game at 14-14 following a flawless conversion.
However, Quins reclaimed the lead when Mathew Ouma powered through for a try, nudging the score to 17-14. But Nakuru wasn’t done yet.
In the final moments of added time, Felix Okoth orchestrated a brilliant attacking sequence, offloading a sharp pass to Chris, who then found Njunye Joseph on the right flank.
Joseph dashed through the defense to touch down and seal a 19-17 triumph, ousting the champions from cup contention.
SportPesa 7s – Main Cup Quarterfinal results
Quarterfinal 2: Strathmore Leos edge out Nondies in extra time
In a similarly electrifying showdown, Strathmore Leos rallied from a 10-0 deficit to defeat Nondies 15-10 in extra time, echoing last season’s quarterfinal outcome, where Nondies also bowed out at the same stage.
Fred Sishia drew first blood for Nondies with an early try, and Okito Daniel doubled their advantage with another, giving them a 10-0 lead though neither try was converted.
Stanlus Shikoli narrowed the gap with a try for Leos, and just before halftime, another effort brought them level at 10-10.
The second half was tightly contested, with both sides failing to breach the try line. Leos missed a penalty opportunity to clinch the win in regular time, forcing the match into extra time.
Dominating the added period, Strathmore Leos finally found the breakthrough through their captain, Arnold Mwita, who sprinted down the right flank to score the match-winning try.
The 15-10 victory secured their spot in the main cup semifinals and ended Nondies’ cup hopes for another year.
Meanwhile, in the third quarterfinal of the day, Kabras dominated MMUST with a commanding 31-0 victory to book their spot in the main cup semifinals.
KCB, aiming for a return to the finals as they did last season, continued their dominance by thrashing Menengai Oilers 29-0.
As a result, Nakuru RFC will face Strathmore Leos in one semifinal, while Kabras will battle KCB in a highly anticipated clash.
Driftwood 7s – Main Cup quarterfinal results
- Nakuru 19–17 Kenya Harlequins
- Strathmore Leos 15–10 Nondies
- Kabras 31–0 MMUST
- KCB 29–0 Menengai Oilers
Main Cup semifinal fixtures
- Nakuru RFC vs Strathmore Leos
- KCB vs Kabras