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The new Shujaa coach has a full in-tray as relegated Kenya look to qualify for the 2024 Olympics and start their journey back to the World Sevens Series
Kevin Wambua was finally confirmed as the new Kenya Sevens coach on Friday, taking over from Englishman Damian McGrath, and he has a tough job on his hands.
Wambua, popularly known as Bling, will be assisted by Louis Kisia, Steve Sewe (Team Manager), Lameck Bogonko (Team Physio), Andrew Amonde (Strength & Conditioning Coach), Chris Brown (Consultant, Strength and Conditioning Coach) and Eric Ogweno (Team Liaison) after Kenya Rugby Union opted for an all-Kenyan bench.
Wambua is no stranger to Shujaa as he was McGrath’s assistant and has previously served in similar roles. The former Kenya international has been given up to the end of the Olympic qualifiers and he has little time to make an impression since Kenya will begin their qualification journey next month.
Restore confidence
Wambua walks into the team at a time when confidence is low, after Shujaa’s humbling in the World Rugby Sevens Series last season, leading to their relegation for the first time in 19 years.
His first job, therefore, will be to restore belief even before the Olympics qualifiers begin.
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18:33 - 04.08.2023
RUGBY Kenya Rugby Union unveil new technical bench ahead of upcoming Olympic qualifiers
This comes after Shujaa were relegated from the HSBC World Rugby Series earlier this year.
Shujaa finished 13th last season in a campaign when they failed to reach the Cup quarters in any of the 10 legs before losing to Canada in the relegation-playoff final.
Bereft of experience, Kenya’s young talented players could not handle the pressure when it mattered most, and they will need an arm around their shoulders for them to regain their belief since they will need it in plenty.
Select formidable team
That will perhaps come after Wambua and his team have selected a squad to the Olympics qualifiers with the ongoing National Sevens Circuit set to give him a good picture of who is good enough for his plans.
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06:30 - 04.08.2023
RUGBY: Amonde describes how he’s coping with life as a coach after long playing career, reveals new KCB role
The former Kenya Sevens captain says the transition from the pitch to the dugout has been tough but learning from others has helped him greatly
While Kenya may lack structures, talent is there in plenty and the new team will not have a hard time selecting their squad.
Structures & motivation
However, lack of the right structures and environment have been blamed for Kenya’s collapse and it is here where Wambua will have to put his full focus.
The coach will need the support of KRU to have in place the necessary facilities for great training given the game has changed and the days when Kenya relied on their physical strength are long gone.
Technology is now key in sports and KRU will have to invest in this to enable the new team to succeed. Beyond this, the union will also have to ensure that the playing unit is highly motivated so that they can focus on producing positive results even if their coffers have taken a hit in the wake of Shujaa’s relegation.
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13:38 - 26.07.2023
RUGBY Dennis Abukuse bullish about delivering Shujaa from relegation ahead of busy calendar
The 24-year-old is optimistic that the team will learn from the experience, which they will use as fuel to win back promotion to the top flight at the first time of asking.
Olympics qualification
All these are ingredients for not just immediate but long-term success and it is possible that Kenya will begin their Olympics qualification journey without everything in place.
Kenya effortlessly qualified for the last two Olympics but things are set to get a little tough this time around, given South Africa are also in the qualifiers after failing to finish in the top four at last season’s World Series.
The qualifiers will take place at the Africa Men’s Sevens tournament from September 16-17 in Zimbabwe with the 12-team event also serving at the qualifiers for the 2024 Challenger Series where Kenya will seek to get back to the World Series from.
While it has previously been much easier to qualify for the Olympics via this route with the likes of Uganda, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Madagascar, Tunisia, Burkina Faso and Namibia to contend with, South Africa present a big threat.
World Sevens Series return
The winner of the qualifiers will seal their ticket to the Paris 2024 Games and if Kenya fail to win the tournament, they will hope to finish second or third to qualify for the 2024 Final Olympic Qualification Tournament while also making it to the 2024 Challenger Series.
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06:31 - 19.07.2023
RUGBY What will Shujaa need to earn promotion following World Rugby’s major changes to Sevens Series?
Shujaa have a tough route back to the World Sevens Series after the sports governing body introduced a new format starting next season.
Assuming that is secured, they will enter into the 12-team Challenger Series which is a two-weekend tournament involving teams from around the world, including the likes of Uruguay, and Japan who also missed out on promotion to the World Series last season.
Kenya will need to finish in the top four in the 2024 Challenger Series to make it to the relegation-promotion playoff and ensure they are among the four best teams again to regain their place in the World Series following changes made by World Rugby.
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