Koyonzo High School beat Kakamega School 12-3 in the final to lift the 2022 St Mary’s Yala 15s opens on Sunday 15 May 2022 at St Mary’s Yala Grounds.
The closely contested clash saw the first half end in a stalemate while in the second half, Koyonzo landed two tries and converted one against Kakamega’s penalty.
Unbeaten Koyonzo defeated St Peter’s Mumias 10-0 to reach the final, while Kakamega, the East African and National defending champions, edged Vihiga High School 7-6 in the semis. Koyonzo who finished second in the 2019 Kakamega County Games falling to Kakamega will be keen to carry such a performance in the County competition to dethrone the holders.
Speaking to the Scrummage after the tournament, the Barbarians Head Coach Amos Wamanga said the tournament was a good platform for participants to know where they are in terms of preparation.
“For us, it was a successful tournament. We learned where we stand in terms of preparation, and each team now understands what they need to work on before the competition’s resume. Despite the fact that we did not win, I am pleased with how the guys performed during the event. I’d like to express my gratitude to the school administration, led by Principal Gerald Orina, for making this happen,” he said.
The Principal Orina has remained supportive to the side taking them through preseason tournaments such as the 2019 Western Prescott tournament which was key to the 2019 East African School games success.
Having won the Bradley Tournament in Kamusinga, last weekend and finished as first runners-up in this tournament, they will be keen to feature in more tournaments to get ready for the school games and defend the County, Western Region, National and Regional titles.
For the past 21 years, rugby 15s has been a core sport at Kakamega School, where they have won a record eight titles and have made it to the finals a record ten times. They have also excelled in the shorter version and the sport has helped to keep the school on the regional map.
Wamanga acknowledged that the long break caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on all of the teams.
“The teams have been hurt by the long period of inactivity. Most players have not played competitive rugby in their three years of high school. Looking at the scorelines of games that finished 3-0 or 0-0, it is clear that the teams are not in the best shape possible. Such tournaments will assist us in getting back on track.” he said.
