•The Kenya Sevens team returned to the country last Monday after finishing ninth overall in Paris.
•Sewe said they are monitoring players across all cadres to improve the quality of Seven players for the upcoming season.
Image: XINHUA
Strength, conditioning and decision-making making will be some of the areas Shujaa will be addressing when they start their pre-season camp for the World Seven Series next month.
Speaking Sunday, team manager Steve Sewe said the Olympics in Paris was an eye-opener on what to expect when the season kickoffs in December in Dubai.
“From a conditioning point, our boys need to be bigger and have endurance. If you saw our matches, we started brightly but then folded in the second half. So it's something we must address before we start the series and ensure we are competitive for 14 minutes,” added Sewe.
The Kenya Sevens team returned to the country last Monday after finishing ninth overall in Paris.
Sewe said they are monitoring players across all cadres to improve the quality of Seven players for the upcoming season.
“When the U-20 team was playing in Scotland, we saw some very good talent which we believe we can add to our squad. The ongoing national Sevens series has a very good talent which we can also use to bolster our depth for the circuit," he said.
Sewe was adamant that the second string outfit known as Morans would have to play satellite tournaments to keep fit. “I believe this decision is long overdue. We can't be relying on the Shujaa with the same players over a long period. The players in Morans need to play quality tournaments and get tested so that when they move up to Shujaa, they are ready to face the big teams and not have stage fright," said Sewe
On decision-making, Sewe said the team needed to be sharper against well-organised teams in the World Sevens Series.
“At the Challenger Seven Series, we were able to break defences easily but at the World Seven Series, we have to work harder and smarter. We must also be patient with our build-up play to open our defences and score tries,” he added.
Shujaa will now set their sights on the Safari Sevens slated for October with Sewe warning competition for places in both Shujaa and Morans will be intense.
"As coaches and the technical bench, it is a good opportunity because the talent we have in this country is immense," he noted.
Meanwhile, the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Board has appointed Thomas Odundo as Chief Executive Officer.
Odundo, who had been serving in an acting capacity, was officially confirmed and his appointment has been backdated effective July 2024.
Before he was appointed CEO, Odundo served as the Director of Rugby at KRU for eight years, where he oversaw the operations of the National teams, local leagues and tournaments.
Odundo has an extensive background in rugby, having obtained his Level One and Two coaching certificates in 1998 and 2001 respectively.
He coached the Kenya Simbas from June 2004 to June 2006, a period within which they improved from position 49 to 37 in the IRB World rankings and reached the second round of World Cup Qualifiers for the first time.