Menenagai Oilers bundled Kabras Sugar RFC out of contention for the 2026 Kabeberi 7s title with a narrow 12-7 victory in the Main Cup quarterfinals played on Sunday morning at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi.
Kabras entered this third leg of the SportPesa 7s having reached every final in the Dala 7s and Prinsloo 7s, and they were eager to sustain that hot streak, only to stumble against Oilers, the very side they had beaten two weeks ago in the Dala 7s finale.
Gracious Owino gave Oilers an early lead, which he converted, before Philip Okeyo extended their advantage to 12-0 before the break.
Jone Kubu, coming off the bench, managed to beat his markers from a kick-run and get the ball in his hands to reduce the deficit to 12-7.
Kabras then tried to turn the pressure into points, but Oilers’ defence remained well organised. Kevin Wekesa eventually knocked on the ball to ensure Oilers booked their place in the semifinals, where they will take on Strathmore Leos later on Sunday afternoon.
Strathmore had earlier come from behind to beat Daystar Falcons 27-12.
Meanwhile, in another quarterfinal, KCB Rugby survived an early scare from Kenyatta University’s Blak Blad to secure their place in the semifinals after failing to reach the last four at the Dala 7s.
Having beaten rivals Kabras on Saturday afternoon to finish top of Group D, many expected KCB’s pairing with the minnows Blak Blad to be a straightforward affair.
However, Elvis Otete provided an early reality check when his converted try gave Blak Blad the lead in the first half.
Floyd Wabwire would level the score with a try converted by Brian Wahinya.
KCB then earned a penalty in the final minute and went for the posts, with Wahinya converting to secure the three valuable points and send his side back into the semifinals.
KCB will now be aiming to defend the Kabeberi 7s title for a fifth successive time.
They will have another tough task on Sunday afternoon when they take on Kenya Harlequins in the Main Cup semifinal. Quins reached the last four after edging Mwamba RFC 7-5.
It will be a repeat of the Dala 7s quarterfinal, where Quins managed to get the better of KCB. They will be hoping to produce another upset when the two sides meet again.
Kabeberi 7s Sunday, August 16 — Knockout Stage Results
Challenge Cup Quarterfinals
- 9:00am — Kisumu 12-0 CUEA Monks
- 9:20am — Nakuru 10-5 Mombasa RFC
- 9:40am — Nondies 27-5 Impala RFC
- 10:00am — Zetech Oaks 0-21 MMUST
Main Cup Quarterfinals
- 10:20am — Mwamba RFC 5-7 Kenya Harlequins
- 10:40am — KCB Rugby 10-7 KU Blak Blad
- 11:00am — Strathmore Leos 27-12 Daystar Falcons
- 11:20am — Menengai Oilers 12-7 Kabras Sugar
Men’s Classification/Cup Matches
- 12:20pm — Catholic Monks vs Mombasa RFC
- 12:40pm — Zetech vs Impala
- 1:00pm — Kisumu vs Nakuru
- 1:20pm — MMUST vs Nondies
- 1:40pm — Daystar Falcons vs Kabras Sugar
- 2:00pm — Blak Blad vs Mwamba
- 2:20pm — Quins vs KCB
- 2:40pm — Oilers vs Leos
Finals Programme
- 3:20pm — Men’s 5th-place match
- 3:42pm — Women’s third-place playoff
- 4:04pm — Men’s third-place playoff
- 4:26pm — Division Two Final
- 4:48pm — Women’s Final
- 5:10pm — Division One Men’s Final