Despite their 40-13 mauling of newbies Catholic Monks in their Kenya Cup new season opener over the weekend, Kabras head coach Carlos Katywa believes the team did not perform according to expectation, especially in the second half.
The sugarmen had a commanding first half, scoring five tries and four conversions to lead 33-3 at the break, only to manage a single converted try in the second half.
Katywa said the youngsters failed to pitch up in the second half, and that they left a lot of points on the field which could have altered the score further in their favour.
Didn’t work according to script
“Resting some of the key players was crucial in this game but unfortunately the trick didn’t work according to script and the youngsters didn’t pitch up. There were instances when nervousness kicked in and so the second half didn’t go according to the script,” he said.
“Our area of concern was that we consumed a lot of penalties in the second half and this an area that we’ll have to look into. Some were justifiable and some were touch and go. We will stick to what’s working for us and try and become better,” he added.
However, the tactician lauded his youngsters for collecting maximum points in the game, and for a flawless first-half display.
He further added the game presented an opportunity for the club to measure the progress of their youngsters in terms of development and experience.
“We had a flawless first half though in terms of every department. Our scrums and lineouts were just on point. The youngsters stuck to their guns and game plan which put the opposition under pressure. It’s a learning curve and what’s important for youngsters is to collect maximum points in games like this. The point difference will improve as we progress into the season,” he said.
Machine assignment
Kabras travel to Mean Machine on Saturday, December 3 for their second game of the season, and Katywa said the main area of focus remains to create a perfect blend of senior players and youngsters in the team, as well as working on polishing their set pieces.
“Mean Machine is a different ball game because we will have some of our senior players back into the system. We will work on how to blend these experienced players and our youngsters and also try to improve our set pieces,” he said.
Kabras currently sit third on the Kenya Cup log tied on points with leaders Menengai Oilers and second-placed KCB, who boast superior point differences.
