All Saints Embu will take on compatriots Kitondo School in the rugby 15's semi-finals today in the ongoing Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association Games
All Saints, who are the Kenya champions, sailed to the semi-finals after finishing on top of their group. They beat Namilyango 13-7 to finish their group-stage games unbeaten.
Kitondo School from Makueni County beat fancied Kings College Buddo 24-11 to finish second in their group and book a date with All Saints.
In another semi-final match, Butula High School will face an acid test against defending champions St Mary’s Kisubi. Butula overcame Makerere College 31-25 to also finish top of their group. Butula coach Libondo Shimenga expects a tough game against Kisubi.
“I want the boys to stick to the game plan because if they do, we shall beat Kisubi. This is a game which will be won on execution,” he said.
On Butula’s game against Makerere, Shimenga said: “They wanted to prove a point having already exited the completion after losing two games.”
Shimenga said having three teams from Kenya in the 15s semi-finals demonstrates how powerful the country has become in the game.
“The game has improved tremendously in Kenya. I’m impressed by the performance of Kenyans in 15s and Sevens so far,” added Shimenga.
On his side, Kitondo coach Micheal Satia said: “Nobody gave us a chance to reach the semi-finals because our boys are small. However, I thank God for the far he has brought us.”
He added: “As we play All Saints in the semis, our target is to win the game. However, if the result does not go our way, we will still be happy because we have achieved our target of reaching the semi-finals on our 15s debut. We shall give a good fight against the fellow Kenyans.”
When the teams met at the nationals in the first term, All Saints won 24-0 in the semi-finals. He hailed the school’s principal Richard Mokaya for supporting the team.
Last year, Kitondo represented Kenya at the FEASSA games in Huye Rwanda in rugby 7's and reached the semi-finals. The institution is based in Makueni County.
Kenya’s Lenana High School exited the competition in the group stage. However, coach Nick Abok said he was proud of his charges.
“We only had one week of training because we were informed about participation in this competition late. This is part of our preparations for next year’s event and the players have enjoyed the competition,” said Abok.
In rugby Sevens, national champions Friends School Bwake and runners-up Vihiga Boys both qualified for the semis. Bwake put up a spirited fight to overcome Kisii School 10-7 while Vihiga Boys edged Kiira 28-0. St Mary’s Yala went down 10-5 in another closely contested game.
In the girls’ Sevens, national champions St Joseph’s Kitale Girls beat Jinja 5-0 while Nyagichenche lost 22-5 against Nkoma.