MMUST Rugby’s first Kenya Cup home match at the MMUST Grounds since promotion ended in memorable fashion as the students edged Impala RFC 20-15 in a dramatic encounter that saw both sides see red card.
It was MMUST’s first Kenya Cup fixture at the varsity grounds since 25 February 2023, when they lost 18-14, and they came into the match desperate to get off the mark after three straight losses on the road.
MMUST Rugby opener
Despite Impala enjoying a fair share of territory early on, it was MMUST who opened the scoring when Flavian Otiyo drilled in a penalty following an infringement by the Impala forwards to make it 3-0.
Impala responded almost immediately, with Tyson Okoth proving too strong to stop as he powered through MMUST’s defence to score under the posts. Moses Andale added the simple conversion as Impala took a 7-3 lead.
The students regrouped with a series of well-worked phases, and their pressure paid off when Caleb Owino crossed the whitewash for MMUST’s first try of the match. Otiyo, who had missed a penalty minutes earlier, added the extras as MMUST reclaimed the lead at 10-7 heading into the break.
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MMUST picked up where they left off at the start of the second half, with Otiyo selling a dummy to the Impala defence before exploiting the gap for a try of his own. He converted his effort to stretch the lead to 17-7.
The celebrations were short-lived as Impala struck back through Billy Arigi, who went over following a costly MMUST error that resulted in a scrum inside the five-metre line. Andale missed the conversion as the visitors closed the gap to 17-12.
MMUST Rugby with 20 points
Otiyo and Andale then exchanged penalties, moving the score to 20-15 as both sides continued to size each other up in an intense contest.
MMUST were dealt a major blow when Fidel Simbas was shown a red card, leaving the students to see out the remainder of the match with a numerical disadvantage. Despite this, MMUST maintained momentum and continued to camp inside Impala’s half, holding firm as the score remained unchanged.
Late drama saw Impala replacement scrum-half yellow carded, before substitute prop Tariq Ngige was also sent off, as MMUST held on for a famous home victory.
