Christie 7s 2025: Shock as Kabras Sugar Are Relegated to Challenge Trophy While KCB, Quins Make Cup Quaters

The 59th edition of the Christie 7s burst into life at the RFUEA Grounds on Saturday with high-octane rugby, dramatic comebacks, and shocking upsets that kept fans on their feet throughout the day.

Hosts Kenya Harlequin got the tournament underway in style, brushing aside Mombasa Rugby 34-15, before newcomers Zetech Oaks stunned the crowd with a narrow 19-17 victory. In Pool B, Nakuru RFC saw off MMUST 22-7, but the spotlight quickly shifted to Catholic Monks, who overwhelmed Impala RFC 33-05 to stamp their authority.

The Rai Family’s Kabras Sugar RFC started confidently with a 34-05 demolition of Uganda’s RugaRuga Select, while Menengai Oilers edged Daystar Falcons 15-12 in a thriller. Pool D brought early drama as Mwamba clawed their way back from 0-17 at halftime to force a 17-17 draw with KU Blakblad, while defending champions KCB flexed their muscles in a dominant 37-12 win over Nondies.

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The second round of matches, however, flipped the script. Impala RFC shook off their heavy loss to beat Nakuru 19-05, while Daystar Falcons pulled off one of the biggest surprises of the day, edging out Kabras Sugar 17-14 in a nail-biting contest.

Quarterfinal Picture Despite their slow start, Impala booked their first Cup quarterfinal this season after victories over Nakuru and MMUST. Daystar Falcons followed suit with two decisive wins, including the scalp of Kabras. Nondies also impressed, defeating Mwamba 17-14 and blanking KU Blakblad 10-00 to secure their spot.

They join Kenya Harlequin, Catholic Monks, Strathmore Leos, Menengai Oilers, and heavyweights KCB in Sunday’s Cup quarterfinals.

Challenge Trophy Shake-Up In a stunning twist, two tournament regulars — Kabras Sugar and Nakuru RFC — dropped into the Challenge Trophy bracket. Kabras managed just one win from three matches, while Nakuru’s mixed results (a win, a loss, and a draw) sealed their fate.

Challenge Trophy QFs
8:40am – Zetech Oaks vs MMUST
9:00am – Mwamba vs RugaRuga Select
9:20am – Nakuru vs Mombasa RFC
9:40am – Kabras Sugar vs KU Blakblad

Cup QFs
10:00am – Kenya Harlequin vs Impala
10:20am – KCB vs Daystar Falcons
10:40am – Catholic Monks vs Strathmore Leos
11:00am – Menengai Oilers vs Nondies

 In the Women’s Tier One, Kenya Harlequin settled for two draws (12-12 vs Impala and 17-17 vs Northern Suburbs), while reigning Prinsloo 7s champions Mwamba RFC stayed perfect with emphatic wins — 37-00 over Northern Suburbs and 27-10 over Impala.

In Tier Two, NYS Ladies impressed with back-to-back victories against Kulabu (33-00) and Rongo University (23-17). Ruck It Rugby recovered from a 12-10 defeat to Rongo with a 46-00 demolition of Kulabu Ladies.

Kabras’ Disappointment For Kabras Sugar, the tournament has been nothing short of a nightmare. A side accustomed to challenging for titles, including this title which they won in the 2024 edition, now finds itself scrapping in the Challenge Trophy after costly lapses and an upset defeat to Daystar.