South Coast Pirates concluded their 2023/23 regular season in style by defeating United States International University (USIU) 35-22 in a Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Championship match held at the USIU Grounds on Saturday.
Coming off a remarkable 102-3 victory against the University of Eldoret (UoE) Trojans, the Diani-based club aimed to continue their winning streak. Meanwhile, USIU sought to avenge their previous 24-10 loss to the Daystar Falcons.
Heading into the match, Pirates occupied the second position on the log with 36 points, while their opponents held the eighth spot with 12 points.
The opening score came from Brighton Omondi, who chased down a well-executed try off Joseph Musyoki’s powerful kick. However, the conversion attempt was unsuccessful due to windy conditions.
Pirates capitalized on their dominance in set pieces, forcing the hosts to commit penalties. Kelly Akeng’o capitalized on one such penalty, extending Pirates’ lead.
Continuing their pressure, Pirates forced another infringement from the hosts, resulting in a student being sent off temporarily. Seizing the numerical advantage, the Coastal-based team orchestrated a well-executed try through former Nakuru RFC player Gilbert Ochieng. Despite a missed penalty by Akeng’o, Pirates led 13-0.
Akeng’o redeemed himself with a successful penalty, adding three more points to Pirates’ tally.
In the final moments of the opening half, USIU managed to score their first try through Faustine Waswa, who also converted it, narrowing the halftime deficit to 16-7.
The second half began with both teams displaying intensity, as USIU struck back with a try from Fred Okoth, though the conversion was missed.
Responding swiftly, Pirates scored their second try of the match through Brighton Omondi, with Akeng’o converting successfully.
Joseph Musyoki intercepted a pass from USIU, sprinting clear to score another try for Pirates, with Akeng’o adding the extra points.
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Despite USIU scoring two more tries through Okoth, both conversion attempts were unsuccessful. Charles Tendwa sealed the victory for Pirates with a well-crafted try, further boosted by Akeng’o’s accurate kicking.
With this win, Pirates secured a home semifinal and are eager to advance to the top-tier league. Devin Abuga was named the man of the match for his outstanding performance.
MMUST picked a 27-7 win over Mombasa to hand the Kakamega-based side a home semi-final. MMUST have finished to of the log with 44 points.
JKUAT defeated Mean Machine 32-17 to book a place in the play on their first season on KRU Championship return.
Despite the loss Mean Machine will be safe as they have a better head-to-head record against Kabarak, Kabarak will be dropping to the lower tier.
MATCH DAY 11 results
UoE Trojans Impala University Of Eldoret
USIU Martials 22-35 S.C Pirates (USIU Ground)
Western Bulls 19-10 Daystar Falcons (The Bullring)
Mombasa 7-27 Masinde Muliro (Khamisi High School)
JKUAT Cougars 32-17 Mean Machine (JKUAT Juja)
