By Tony Ngare
Even before most Kenyans had fully discerned the implications of the Kenya Sevens Rugby team beating the likes of New Zealand in the IRB Sevens Series, the Virgin Boys as they are popularly known got us into yet another delirium.
The Sevens national team made history by becoming the second team in Kenyan sporting circles after the cricket team to reach the semi-finals of a World championship.
I expected the Virgin Boys to easily beat Tunisia and Hong Kong. This is a feat they achieved with minimum fuss. My worries about the England game turned out to be valid but the Kenyans had already secured qualification into the knock out stage.
It was celebrations time. But… wait! Wait a minute! What? Who do we get in the quarters? Fiji! The defending champions? Those giants? Come on, you got to be bloody kidding me! It can’t be. These were the hoodlums we expected to meet in the semis or final.
Bring it on then; I mutter to myself after all to win a major trophy you must overcome major teams.
It’s Kenya vs Fiji in the quarters. I’m following the game via a live text feed on my mobile as I’m on a Pulse road trip to Kisumu. Something is not adding up here?
Mental faculties
Surely two tots of brandy cannot have ruined both my visual and mental faculties. I ask a colleague to confirm what I see on my phone’s screen is indeed correct. Could the technology be playing tricks on us? Imagine its true. Kenya is whipping mighty Fiji.
The game is now on its closing stages. The page takes ages to refresh. Goodness... will the score have changed? Viola! Its over and its maddening. ß&£$%&^%%$ Kenya has beaten the Champions. Hey you, bring the bottle I need to take a swig to remain sane here. Kenya has never beaten Fiji in the Sevens. Now the defending Champions have to catch a flight home after a breathtaking 14 minutes that shall be remembered by many rugby enthusiasts in Kenya.
By making the Cup quarters at the World Cup, it means that Kenya automatically qualifies for the next Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2013 hence creating one more room for another African country to join the elite group.
New Zealand, South Africa, England and Fiji all fell early to underline the hyper-competitive nature of the game’s abbreviated form.
Benjamin Anyimba has performed better than any foreign coach ever hired to coach any sport in Kenya. This is proof that we do not need foreign coaches.
This team’s achievement now puts every other federation on the spot. Will Harambee Stars ever clinch a semi final slot in a world cup? Are we ever going to witness such feat in our time?
