One of the biggest upsets of the 2026 Prinsloo 7s has unfolded at Nakuru Athletic Club as tournament debutants Kiambaa Ladies produced a fearless display to stun fancied Kenya Harlequin 21-17 and seal a place in the Main Cup final.
Few had given the youthful side, largely made up of school-going girls from the Kiambaa, a realistic chance against a Kenya Harlequin outfit packed with experienced campaigners and national team players.
But the newcomers showed remarkable composure, defended with grit and took their chances clinically to write one of the stories of the tournament.
Harlequin were first to breach the whitewash after a well-worked attacking move. Phoebe Akinyi slipped a perfectly timed offload to Yvette Oketch, who accelerated through the defensive line to dot down the opening try. The conversion drifted wide, leaving Quins with a slender 5-0 advantage.
Kiambaa Ladies shock Kenya Harlequin to reach Prinsloo 7s final
Kiambaa quickly settled into the contest and responded in style. Diana Wanjiku finished off an enterprising attack before Milan calmly added the extras to hand the underdogs a 7-5 lead.
The pendulum swung back in Harlequin’s favour moments later when winger Freshia Oduor crossed over in the corner after exploiting space out wide. Maureen Muritu made no mistake with the conversion as Quins reclaimed a 12-7 advantage.
Refusing to be rattled, Kiambaa continued to play with confidence, moving the ball through several phases and testing the Quins defence. Their persistence paid off when Rose Okwemba powered over for another try, with Milan again successful from the tee to give Kiambaa a narrow 14-12 lead heading into the halftime break.
The second spell produced another dramatic twist. Yvette Oketch completed her brace after capitalising on a gap in the Kiambaa defence, restoring Harlequin’s lead at 17-14 and seemingly putting the favourites back in control.
Displaying outstanding patience in possession, the debutants strung together a series of crisp passes, recycling the ball through multiple phases before releasing an unmarked Diana Wanjiku, who raced away to score the match-winning try. The move showcased the confidence, support play and attacking flair that had carried the side throughout the tournament and ultimately secured a famous victory.
Speaking after the memorable semifinal triumph, Kiambaa head coach Allan Bush said his charges had already achieved what many thought was impossible and would head into the final with nothing to lose.
“I believe in my side as I said yesterday we are here to write a statement and so far we’ve done that. We are not under any pressure going into the final as we have already overachieved,” said Bush.
The result sends Kiambaa into their first-ever Main Cup final, capping a dream debut on the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit.
Their fearless approach, relentless work at the breakdown, disciplined defensive line and willingness to keep the ball alive proved too much for one of the tournament favourites.
Earlier in the day, Mwamba RFC booked their place in the championship decider with a commanding 36-0 victory over Impala Roans in the opening semifinal.
Mwamba controlled territory from the opening whistle, dominated the contact area and converted sustained pressure into points to cruise into the final.
The stage is now set for a fascinating title showdown between seasoned campaigners Mwamba RFC and the tournament’s surprise package, Kiambaa Ladies.
Meanwhile, Kenya Harlequin will take on Impala Roans in the third-place playoff as they seek to salvage their campaign after suffering a semifinal defeat that few would have predicted.
Belvine Omondi is a sports journalist who enjoys telling stories across football, volleyball, hockey, rugby and athletics. A trained journalist by profession, formerly worked for Pepeta and now contributes to the Sportpesa blog covering different aspects of sport.
