Africa-Press – Kenya. Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) head coach John Asila says his side’s hard-fought Kenya Cup derby victory over Kisumu RFC has injected fresh belief as they battle to avoid relegation.
MMUST went into Saturday’s Western Kenya derby rooted to the bottom of the standings on four points, just two behind Kisumu RFC in 11th place, making the encounter a high-stakes relegation dogfight.
Playing at the MMUST Grounds in Kakamega, the university side produced one of their most disciplined performances of the season to grind out a deserved 25–12 victory.
The hosts made a fast start, striking early through Clarence Hope and Veron Kaburu, who both crossed the whitewash to hand MMUST a 10–0 lead. However, Flavian Otiyo was unable to convert either try.
MMUST continued to pile pressure on Kisumu, with Hope grabbing his second try of the afternoon to stretch the lead to 15–0, again without the conversion.
Kisumu RFC found a lifeline just before the break when Walter Ambe touched down for an unconverted try, cutting the deficit to 15–5 at halftime.
MMUST returned from the sheds with renewed intent and tightened their grip on the derby early in the second half when Job Otieno powered over to extend the lead to 20–5.
Moments later, Kaburu completed his brace, slicing through the Kisumu defence to open up a commanding 25–5 advantage.
Although Kisumu mounted a late surge and managed a converted try, MMUST held firm in defence to seal a morale-boosting 25–12 win.
The result lifted MMUST to nine points and up to 10th place on the log, while Kisumu RFC slipped to the bottom on six points.
Asila believes the victory could mark a turning point in MMUST’s relegation battle.
“I believe the win has given the boys belief that they can fight for more positive results in the remaining matches and get ourselves out of danger,” Asila said.
He stressed that discipline and strict adherence to the game plan will be vital as the season enters its decisive phase.
“If we stick to the game plan, I believe we can keep ticking the right boxes. This match helped us pick up very vital lessons,” he noted.
Despite the derby success, Asila insisted the team is keen to keep emotions in check.
“We are focusing on the next game. We don’t want to put ourselves under any pressure,” he said.
The MMUST coach credited his players’ hunger and commitment to the victory, revealing that the team had to balance training with academic commitments.
“The boys have been working hard and they really wanted this win. Even with exams, we trained from 5.30 pm to 7 pm,” Asila said.
“The players knew it was a derby and a game they had to give their all. Kisumu is a solid side coached by a very experienced coach.”
