‘House of pain’ returning? Shujaa set to welcome back experienced strength & conditioning expert

Rugby Sevens strength and conditioning expert Chris Brown. Photo: USA Rugby.

RUGBY ‘House of pain’ returning? Shujaa set to welcome back experienced strength & conditioning expert

Joel Omotto 06:33 - 14.03.2024

Kenya Sevens are set for a major boost as former strength and conditioning expert will join the team this month ahead of a crucial period as they seek top flight return and Olympics medal.

Kenya Sevens are primed for the arrival of strength and conditioning coach Chris Brown ahead of a crucial period that will culminate in the Paris Olympic Games.

New Zealander, Brown is not strange to Kenya as he previously worked with Shujaa under the rein of coach Mike Friday between 2012 and 2013 when the team recorded a marked improvement.

Brown will be working with Kevin Wambua’s men as a consultant alongside former Kenya Sevens captain Andrew Amonde who is the team’s strength and conditioning coach and there is hope that the players’ level of fitness and mental toughness will increase before they head to the Challenger Series Final in Madrid before the Olympics.

“He is coming on March 21 and he is being seconded to us by World Rugby,” Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman Alexander ‘Sasha’ Mutai told Pulse Sports.

“When he was here with coach Mike Friday, you could see the difference. We want him to work on the boys before May and also before they go to the Olympics.”

Shujaa are on course to make it to the HSBC SVNS promotion-relegation playoff in Madrid after claiming bronze in the second leg of the 2024 Challenger Series in Montevideo, Uruguay last weekend.

That left them with 36 points from a possible 40 and second on the standings behind Uruguay after collecting the maximum 20 points from the first leg in Dubai and will need to maintain their top four placing in the third round in Munich slated for May to get into the playoff.

At the playoff, the top four teams from the Challenger Series will square it off with the bottom four from the HSBC SVNS, to determine who will gain promotion to the top flight and Kenya want to make an immediate return to the big time.

That will call for proper preparations and that is why KRU has sought the services of Brown, a highly experienced coach, in his field.

Brown had implemented a rigorous training regime christened the ‘House of pain’ during his stint with Shujaa under coach Friday and he is likely to design another tough programme for Wambua’s men.

Shujaa will then turn their focus to the Paris Olympics, another assignment that will need good preparations as they seek a medal that has eluded them at the last two editions.

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