Luvisia Amanga
Nondies RFC delivered a ruthless performance to storm into the Kenya Cup playoffs while condemning MMUST Rugby to relegation, following a dominant 50-7 victory in their rescheduled clash at Ngong Racecourse on Saturday, 28 March.
MMUST will go down despite Impala losing as they needed maximum points from the Nondies match to survive the chop.
Originally set for early this year but delayed due to MMUST request following the January exams, the fixture carried significant weight at both ends of the table, and it was Nondies who rose to the occasion in emphatic fashion.
The Red Lions set the tone early, striking through fullback Ronnie Omondi, who finished off a well-worked move for the opening try. Kelvin Sheunda added the extras to hand the hosts a 7-0 lead.
Buoyed by the early breakthrough, Nondies maintained their attacking momentum. Victor Rogena crossed over for the second try, with Sheunda once again converting to double the advantage.
MMUST found a lifeline when Hillary Baraza was sent to the sin bin, allowing the visitors to capitalize on the numerical edge. Veron Kaburu dotted down their only try of the match, and Flavian Otiyo converted to cut the deficit to 14-7.
That response, however, proved short-lived.
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Nondies quickly reasserted control before the break, with Fidens Tony and Ian Mumbwani both going over to stretch the lead to a commanding 24-7 at halftime.
The second half offered little resistance from the Kakamega-based side. Despite Boniface Amimo seeing yellow early in the restart, Nondies continued to pile on the pressure. Frank Mutuku added another try, with Sheunda remaining flawless from the tee.
MMUST’s struggles deepened when Emmanuel Sakwa was also sent to the sin bin, and Nondies made the extra man count immediately. Omondi grabbed his second try of the match, though the conversion sailed wide.
Victor Rogena then wrapped up the rout in style, crossing over twice late on, with Sheunda converting both to complete a convincing 50-7 win.
