Africa-Press – Kenya. Kenya Rugby Union Championship side United States International University Africa (USIU-A) has recruited eight players as they plot a return to the Kenya Cup. Coach Tom Lagat Tuesday confirmed the new signings and announced that they have begun their pre-season preparations ahead of next season.
The new recruits include Randy Odhiambo, Basil Einstein, Shaun Hakeem, Cedric Orenje from Championship compatriots Daystar University’s Falcon, Denzel Washington from Maseno School, Kwame Luchaveli, Bull Changjiek and Mark Lubira from the school system.
He confirmed the departures of regulars Charles Kuka and Aggrey Oguna to Kenya Cup side Mwamba RFC. “Our target this season is to get into the playoffs. We have started the first cycle of pre-season which entails mostly gym and individual skill sessions,” added Lagat.
USIU-A popularly known as the Martials beat Kenya’s under-20 team Chipu 25-20 in a friendly as they stepped up their preparations. “Chipu provided us with a platform to showcase what we have been training so far. It was a good game and I am happy with the progress,” noted Lagat.
Lagat noted that injuries derailed them last season surviving relegation by a whisker. “Injuries played a major role in our performance. We started well by getting into the Floodlight finals. During our first league match, we lost two important players to injury, and two more a game later.”
“The injuries led to poor performance since we didn’t have player depth. By the time they recovered, a larger part of the league was done. We had to fight for survival,” he noted. Lagat revealed that the team will not feature most of the National Sevens Circuit, which kicks off this weekend in Kisumu.
USIU-A will only take part in the penultimate round of the circuit Tisap Sevens which will be held in Eldoret on September 2/3 and the last round of the circuit, the Kabeberi Sevens in Nairobi on September 8/9.
“We won’t be participating in the Sevens circuit fully. We will focus on 15s and play the last two legs in preparation for the Africa University Sevens to be held in October in Kampala,” said Lagat.
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