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Kenya Sevens saw their 19-year stay in the top flight come to and end in disappointing fashion and Sasha Mutai has vowed to ensure they are back on the global map again
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) chairman Sasha Mutai has promised wholesale changes to the Kenya Sevens set up following their relegation from the World Sevens Series on Sunday.
Shujaa saw their 19-year stay in the top flight come to an end after losing to Canada in the relegation playoff final in London, sending shockwaves across the local rugby fraternity.
Cognizant of how difficult it will be to regain their core status, Mutai, who was elected into the KRU hot seat in March, feels a lot need to change structurally and, in the team, to start winning again.
“We have to rebuild the restructure. We need to qualify for next year’s Olympics from the qualifiers in Zimbabwe in September. By that time, we should be a completely changed unit, then we have a tournament in July in New York that has a prize money of $1 million (Ksh137m),” Mutai told Pulse Sports on Monday.
“We knew what was going to happen, we knew what our plans were so that has not changed. It was not working, we have seen it from last year, this system has not worked so changes have to be made.
“I am not worried given the talent we have and then we know who we need to change things. We are not in shock. We are prepared to change things and we have done it before.”
Mutai, who served as Kenya Sevens director as well as KRU Vice Chairman in the past, feels Shujaa have been let down by past regimes, who allowed the standards to slip while their rivals left them behind.
“I was director of sevens from 2006-2010, we got to World Cup semi-final in 2009 it was the time we beat the likes of New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Fiji. The other teams have improved and we have not,” he added.
Kenya’s immediate assignment is to qualify for the for next year’s Olympics in Paris, France but their task has been made more difficult given South Africa will also be participating in the qualifiers in Zimbabwe in September, having failed to finish in the top four this season.
Only one slot is at stake and having been favourites in the past, South Africa are the team to beat this time round. It is not known whether coach Damian McGrath will still be in charge by then but Mutai has hinted at changes within the playing unit and technical bench.
“Some things will change definitely; we can’t continue doing the same things. We have the players, a few of them are going to leave. We already know that they have got contracts in Canada but one thing we don’t lack is players,” said Mutai.
“The season has come to an end and we are out, new contracts will have to come out for the next season because we are not in the core series. We have to now get invited to tournaments, qualify for the Olympics in the qualifiers in Zimbabwe and South Africa are in it because they were not in the top four.”
The National Sevens Series, which will begin in June, will be used to select players for Shujaa’s next assignments.
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