The semi-final lineup for the Driftwood 7s has been confirmed, with defending champions Kenya Harlequin knocked out of contention at the Mombasa Sports Club.
Nakuru RFC will face Strathmore Leos in the first semi-final, while Kabras RFC will battle KCB Rugby in the second semi-final.
Nakuru stun Quins
Nakuru RFC caused the first upset of day two by eliminating reigning champions Quins with a 19-14 win.
Wanyore started brightly, with Cyprian Ombaso cutting through to score under the posts and converting for a 7-0 lead.
Quins endured a frustrating spell before Dennis Nyongesa leveled the scores on the stroke of halftime, racing from deep to score under the posts. The conversion tied the game at 7-7.
In the second half, Nyongesa struck again, fending off Javan Otieno to give Quins a 12-7 advantage. However, Nakuru captain Chrissant Ojwang hit back with a converted try for a 14-12 lead.
Mathew Ouma then broke down the right wing to restore Quins’ lead at 17-14, but a costly error from Amon Wamalwa, whose restart went out of play, gave Nakuru an opening.
With seconds left, Nakuru patiently built their attack and sealed the win with a corner try for a 19-14 triumph.
Strathmore edge Nondies in sudden death
Strathmore Leos needed extra time to secure a 15-10 win over Nondies in the second quarterfinal.
Nondies struck first through Fred Shisia at the corner, with Fidens Tony missing the conversion. Daniel Okito chased down a kick to double the lead to 10-0.
Leos fought back, with Stanislaus Shikoli breaking tackles to score. They leveled 10-10 before halftime after a miscued kick by Fidens was recovered for a corner try.
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A tense second half saw no change to the scoreline, and a missed penalty from Brian Mwendwa forced extra time.
In the first half of sudden death, Arnold Muita tapped quickly to score the match-winning try.
Kabras cruise past MMUST
Kabras RFC were dominant in the Lurambi derby, defeating MMUST 31-0 to advance to the semi-finals.
Victor Otieno opened the scoring after a well-timed pass from William Mwanji, with Jackson Siketi converting for 7-0.
Mwanji then crossed over for 12-0 before Kevin Wekesa pounced on an overthrown lineout to make it 19-0 at halftime.
In the second half, Hillary Salano raced clear for a converted centre-post try, and substitute Eric Cantona added the final score from a scrum.
KCB overpower Oilers
KCB Rugby powered into the last four with a 29-0 victory over Menengai Oilers.
Oilers suffered an early blow when Samuel Mwaura was yellow-carded. From the resulting scrum, Jenkins Kipruto spotted a gap and touched down for 7-0.
Vincent Onyala then combined with George Ooro for his first try in KCB colors. In the second half, Emmanuel Opondo changed direction off a scrum to score, stretching the lead to 19-0.
Festus Shiasi followed up his own kick to make it 24-0, and Ooro sealed the win with the final try.
Challenge Trophy and relegation battle
Impala, Stallions, Catholic Monks, and Daystar won their Challenge Trophy quarterfinals, booking a place at next weekend’s Prinsloo 7s and ensuring a top-12 finish.
Blak Blad, hosts Mombasa, Mwamba, and Kabarak have been relegated and will now rely on invites to participate in the Prinsloo 7s.
DRIFTWOOD 7S day 2
Challenge Trophy
- Blak Blad 7-24 Impala– 9:00
- Stallions 19-7 Mombasa– 9:20
- Catholic Monks 17-7 Mwamba – 9:40
- Daystar 29-5 Kabarak – 10:00
Cup quarters
- Kenya Harlequin 14-19 Nakuru– 10:20
- Strathmore 15-10 Nondies– 10:40
- Kabras RFC 31-0 MMUST– 11:00
- KCB Rugby 29-0 Menengai Oilers– 11:20
13th place semis
- Blak Blad vs Mombasa– 12:00
- Mwamba vs Kabarak – 12:22
Challenge
- Impala vs Stallions – 12:44
- Catholic Monks vs Daystar– 13:06
5th place semis
- Kenya Harlequin vs –Nondies 13:28
- MMUST vs Menengai Oilers (31) – 13:50
Cup semis
- Nakuru RFC vs Strathmore Leos (30) – 14:12
- Kabras RFC vs KCB – 14:34
13th place final
- Winner 13th SF 1 (33) vs Winner 13th SF 2 (34) – 14:54
Challenge final
- Winner CT SF 1 (35) vs Winner CT SF 2 (36) – 15:14
5th place final
- Winner 5th SF 1 (37) vs Winner 5th SF 2 (38) – 15:34
3rd place
- Loser CUP SF 1 (39) vs Loser CUP SF 2 (40) – 15:54
- DIV 2 FINALS – 16:14
- Cup Division 1 Final (39) vs Main Cup Division 1 Final (40) – 16:44
