Strathmore Leos secured a hard-fought 34–31 victory over Daystar Falcons in a closely contested Kenya cup match day six encounter played at the Strathmore Sports Complex.
Daystar Falcons head coach Caleb Bosire made five changes to the side that defeated Kisumu 41–28 last weekend, while Strathmore Leos were looking to recover from a heavy 81–21 loss to Kabras RFC in their previous outing.
Strathmore Leos Perfect Start
The hosts made a fast start, taking the lead inside the opening five minutes when Dennis Mbilah powered over from a scrum close to the try line. Arnold Muita added the conversion to give Strathmore a 7–0 advantage.
Daystar responded four minutes later through a well-worked move that started from a ruck, with Moses Keragori releasing the ball wide. After quick hands and a kick pass, Chris Obuya gathered and touched down under the posts, with Eddy Wambugu converting to level the scores at 7–7.
The visitors edged ahead midway through the half when Wambugu slotted a penalty for a 10–7 lead. In the 25th minute, Daystar capitalised on a loose ruck from Strathmore, with Wambugu kicking ahead, chasing, and grounding the ball before converting his own try to stretch the lead to 17–7.
Strathmore Leos responded just before the break, crossing from a powerful scrum move near the try line. Muita converted to cut the deficit to 17–14, which remained the score at halftime.
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After the restart, the Leos took control. Collins Maina scored the hosts’ third try after being put through by Nygel Amaitsa, with Muita converting to give Strathmore a 21–17 lead.
Minutes later, Muita delivered a precise cross-kick that found Amaitsa on the left wing, who raced in for another try. The conversion was missed, but Strathmore extended their lead to 26–17.
Strathmore added another try following a lineout maul on the left, which the referee ruled as grounded legally. Muita’s conversion attempt fell short, but the hosts moved further ahead at 31–17.
Daystar Falcons mounted a strong comeback around the hour mark when Arnold Agonda broke through the Strathmore defence after good support play, scoring on the left. Wambugu converted to reduce the margin to 31–24.
Strathmore responded with a penalty from Muita to make it 34–24, but Daystar refused to go away. In the dying minutes, the Falcons scored a try converted by Wambugu to close the gap to 34–31, though time ran out before they could complete the comeback.
Both sides collected a winning and losing bonus point respectively.
The result marked Strathmore Leos’ third win of the season, while Daystar Falcons suffered their fourth defeat, leaving them with just one win so far.
Strathmore Leos will travel to Impala Saracens in match day seven next weekend while Daystar Falcons host Nakuru RFC.
