Stop the Kenya 7s free fall
The high turnover of coaches at Kenya Sevens and the team’s poor run at the World Series should set the alarm bells ringing at Kenya Rugby Union headquarters. Briton Damian McGrath, 64, took charge as the new head coach on May 11 after the union fired Innocent “Namcos” Simiyu.
This is after the team’s lacklustre showing at the Africa Cup Sevens in Uganda where it finished third, almost failing to qualify for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in South Africa in September. It now means that the Kenya Sevens job has changed hands 11 times since 2010, which is an average of just over one coach a year.
Simiyu has served twice as Kenya Sevens head coach, having been appointed for the first time in 2016, when he replaced Benjamin Ayimba, who has since died. He was fired after serving slightly over a year into his two-year contract with Paul “Pau” Murunga taking charge. Simiyu made a return in September 2020 when he replaced Paul Feeney of New Zealand.
Other coaches who have handled the team include former Kenya international Mitch Ocholla (2011), Englishman Mike Friday (2012), South African Paul Treu (2013) and local man Felix “Totty” Otieno (2015).
Kenya was placed 10th with 37 points heading into the seventh leg of the 2021/2022 World Rugby Sevens Series in Toulouse, France, over the weekend. The team ended up finishing last for the third time this season. There are only two legs remaining in London and Los Angeles. Ayimba and Friday were fired after taking the team to the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Ayimba returned to guide the team to their historic 2016 Singapore Sevens victory and to their first Olympics at the 2016 Rio Games.
KRU needs to appreciate the fact that firing coaches every now and then won’t boost performance. The board needs to look for sponsors to enable the team to prepare well for major tournaments. The union should also let the technical bench select players without interference and should let performance dictate selection, not age.
