Perfect Oilers retain Kenya Cup lead

Menengai Oilers

Menengai Oilers' Eugene Lubanga (left) is tackled by Nondescript's Calvin Sheunda during their Impala Rugby Floodlit tournament semi-final match at Impala Club on November 5, 2022 at Impala Sports Club.

Photo credit: Chris Omollo | Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Champions Kabras Sugar and KCB also remained unbeaten as they registered identical 41-0 victories to stay second and third respectively in the log with bankers having not conceded any point
  • Nakuru, Kenya Harlequin, Catholic Monks and the University of Nairobi’s Mean Machine remain winless after the second round of matches with Machine yet to score a point
  • Homeboyz and with Kenyatta University's Blak Blad also stayed unbeaten but the story is about the Deejays, who continued with their winning form, having rescinded their decision to pull out of the Kenya Cup


Nakuru-based Menengai Oilers upheld their clean run to stay at the helm of the Kenya Cup league that entered the second round last Saturday.

Champions Kabras Sugar and KCB also remained unbeaten as they registered identical 41-0 victories to stay second and third respectively in the log with bankers having not conceded any point.

Homeboyz and with Kenyatta University's Blak Blad also stayed unbeaten but the story is about the Deejays, who continued with their winning form, having rescinded their decision to pull out of the Kenya Cup.

Mwamba Rugby Club’s hunt down the Great Rift has always been successful and that continued to stay for more years after they downed the home team Nakuru 12-6 at the Nakuru Athletics Club.

Nakuru, Kenya Harlequin, Catholic Monks and the University of Nairobi’s Mean Machine remain winless after the second round of matches with Machine yet to score a point.

The Oilers claimed their second successive bonus point victory, beating hoists Kenya Harlequin 24-10 at the RFUEA ground.

The Oilers top with 10 points, edging out KCB and Kabras, who also have similar points but inferior aggregate.  

Blak Blak and Homeboyz found themselves in fourth and fifth positions respectively with nine points each. Blak Blad claimed a 28-9 victory against visiting Catholic Monks, a week after chalking a bonus point victory against Nakuru 34-8 while Homeboyz beat Strathmore University Leos 22-16.

Kenya Simbas’ fly-half Geoffrey Ominde converted Hilary Mulweyi and John Okoth tries to give the Oilers a 12-3 lead at the break with Lucky Dewald scoring Quins' only points of the half from a penalty.

Steve Arunga landed two second half tries for the Oilers with Ominde managing a conversion before Quins scored a late try from Brian Waraba and a Dewald conversion.

“We can’t plan too far in our matches to come because every opposition provides varying challenges but it will feel nice to win all the way to the end,” said Oilers coach Gibson Weru. “We just need to explore how we are playing, looking at areas we need to improve.”

Despite the victory against Quins, Weru said he wasn’t satisfied with their execution defensively saying they lacked discipline to give away penalties.

“We urgently need to address our last line of defence alongside our set pieces, scrums and lineouts that were not to the point,” said Weru, who looks forward to yet another bonus point victory in their next match against Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology on Saturday in Nakuru.

“We played well, having put in the good work early. This is another step in the journey and we are happy,” said KCB coach Curtis Olago, as the bankers look forward to recapturing the title they lost to Kabras Sugar.

“Rugby is an oval ball, can bounce anywhere hence need to keep reorganising,” said Olago, who hailed the good leadership from skipper Curtis Lilako and fullback Darwin Mukidza.

"I am happy with the bonus point but unhappy with our delivery because we looked lethargic. It's the nature of the game when you play away with fatigue coming in after travelling," said Kabras coach Carlos Katywa, adding that there are a few combinations they also wanted to try out.