Brian Mutugi determined to become a permanent fixture for Shujaa after dream debut at Safari Sevens

Mutugi in action for Shujaa. Photo credit: Jonah Onyango | SMG

RUGBY Brian Mutugi determined to become a permanent fixture for Shujaa after dream debut at Safari Sevens

Mark Kinyanjui 20:36 - 25.11.2023

Mwamba sensation Brian Mutugi wants to cement his place in the Kenya Sevens side after making his national team debut during last weekend's Safari Sevens tournament

Brian Mutugi is a player on a mission to cement his place in the Kenya Sevens setup after being part of the side that successfully retained the Safari Sevens crown by living the dream of many a supporter last Sunday.

The Mwamba sensation was named in the squad for the first time in his career after enjoying a fairly fruitful National Sevens Circuit this year, and it felt like it was a long time coming, considering the impressive performances he displayed for the duration of the season.

Although he was largely used as an impact player as Shujaa cruised to victory, he often left a positive impression, netting a couple of tries himself whenever he came on for Patrick Odongo.

As he was drinking in the moment of lifting a title for his own nation for the first time, he was astonished and lost for words to explain what it means to be donning a national team shirt.

“I do not know how to explain it because it was my first ever tournament playing for Shujaa,” Mutugi told Pulse Sports.

“I have come a long way, it is something brilliant. I am so excited. I just want to thank my coaches for believing in me, giving me an opportunity and I hope I did not let them down.

“All in all, I had a lot of fun and I really hope for many more.”

Under the stewardship of Kevin ‘Bling’ Wambua, who is coincidentally his coach at Mwamba, Mutugi has gradually grown into a proper player, but ahead of what is set to be a monumental year for Kenya Sevens, he acknowledges that he is still “not there yet” and must work hard to earn his place in the setup for the forthcoming challenges.

“I just hope God does his thing. We will just have to grind more and more over the next eight months to see if we will achieve our goals because we are not there yet” he added.

The fleet-footed player insists that being an impact player over the tournament, rather than a starter, was still okay considering he respects the coach’s decision, but is very determined to try and work hard in order to get into the team.

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“It is still okay because it is the coach’s plan. In the second half, you have to have an impact,“ said Mutugi.

Mutugi has mirrored the words of most of his team-mates, saying the atmosphere in the camp is good enough to allow the team to express itself well on the pitch.

“The atmosphere is great. The guys we found in the camp were very welcoming  and everything is great," he said.

“The only difficult thing here is the rigorous training routine. But you know, these are the things we have to go through in order to get better.”

Shujaa will fight tooth and nail to win back promotion to the World Series as well as do well at the forthcoming Summer Olympics.

Mutugi is certainly on the right track towards working his way to becoming an important part of the setup for the side in the coming months.

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