Impala picked their first win of the season, scoring 30-22 against fellow Kenya Cup newcomers South Coast Pirates in a 4 pm clash at the Impala Pavillion.
This was the fourth meeting with Pirates have beaten Impala in the previous three KRU Championship meetings.
The game would set itself as a balanced duel with the home team enjoying a majority possesion early on. It would soon pay off as Impala took the lead from the penalty spot, Erick Muthama splitting the uprights on the right side of the pitch for a 3-0 lead.
Impala denied try
Impala would be denied a chance to extend their lead minutes later, the referee calling for an infringement leading up to the try which had seen the home team display sleek hands to release Timothy Makiya on the outside.
Impala would extend their lead off the penalty for a 6-0 scoreline as the first half ticked.
Continued pressure would finally open the Pirates’ tight ship, scrumhalf Benjamin Madaga beautifully setting up Josephat Ingati who was running a hard line to score under the posts for a 13-0 lead.
This would be the last score as the referee called an end to the first stanza.
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The home team kicked off the second stanza strongly, Makiya running it in after receiving a long pass from the flyhalf Muthama after the Pirates defence found itself short of numbers on the outside for a 18-0 lead.
Pirates would make their first score minutes later, Ken Omaset benefitting from a Burashi Hassan after flyhalf Kelly Akengo stepped to create an overlap on the outside, Akeng’o missing the twos for a 18-5 scoreline.
Impala would hit again through Madaga who received an offload from Onesmus Kinyanjui and dived over to take the scores to 23-5.
Makiya would grab his second of the day, dummying his way past a thinned out Pirates defence to score under the uprights to make the scores 30-5.
Impala concede
Pirates would score two late tries, Omaset running in for his second of the day after picking a loose ball less than ten meters out.
Dennis Njaguru would then snipe off the scrum in the last play of the game to catch the Impala defence napping for a full time score of 30-22.
