Rugby: Top Fry players to join Kenya 15s team - Otieno

By Ben Ahenda

Larry Safari of of Nakuru Top Fry powers through a tackle from Thika Rugby Football Club . [PHOTO:BONIFACE THUKU/STANDARD]

Kenya Cup League champions Top Fry Nakuru will have 75 per cent of their players join the National 15s team, National coach Michael ‘Tank’ Otieno has said.

The coach said Nakuru RFC have quality players the national team needs. Otieno said he has a reason to give players from the Kenya Cup champions a chance to exhibit their talents.

He revealed that no team will easily dispatch Nakuru from the helm of 15s rugby in the near future.

“This is due to their organisational abilities, heavy investment in development structures and good sponsorship package from Menengai Oil Refinery Limited,” he said.

Menengai Oil Refinery Limited have bank-rolled Top Fry Nakuru with the three-year deal running into millions of shillings.

Speaking to Feverpitch in at Nakuru Athletic Club yesterday, Otieno lauded the organisation of the Great Rift Ten Aside Championships saying it is a tournament that helps in producing talented players.

“Players from this event are likely to serve Kenya in the next five years,” said the coach. “It is a tournament that Kenya Rugby Union cannot afford to ignore due to its development structures that can propel rugby to the required international standards,” said Otieno.

The event, which kicked off on Friday, started off with the mini-rugby championships before extending to the senior tournament.

Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman Mwangi Muthee confirmed the event has grown from a simple to a multi-million sponsored competition that has attracted different sponsors.

Menengai Oil Refinery Limited, who are the title sponsors injected Sh4 million into the tournament for the second year running.

Standard Media Group has also come on board as a media sponsor.

A number of rugby officials had expected the attendance of the National Sevens team coach Paul Treu. However, the South African is busy with the team preparing for the remaining two legs of International Rugby Board (IRB) World Series in Scotland and England.

Treu will also oversee the selection of Kenya team to the Commonwealth Games.

The Rugby 10-Aside tournament ended yesterday at the Nakuru Athletic Club attracting thousands of fans to the town.

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