KCB Rugby head coach Andrew Amonde has admitted that managing one of the most talent-packed squads in Kenyan rugby comes with immense pressure. The tactician noted that the expectations surrounding the Bankers have only grown with the arrival of several Kenya Sevens stars.
KCB have earned comparisons to the national sevens side, Shujaa, after assembling a squad featuring some of the country’s biggest names, including Vincent Onyala, Festus Shiasi, Samuel Asati, George Ooro and new signing Nygel Amaitsa. Amonde, who also doubles up as the strength and conditioning coach for Shujaa.He acknowledged that handling a team filled with established internationals means both supporters and players expect nothing short of success. “It is pressure managing these big names. I know a lot is expected of them; sometimes they will also fall short, like they did this weekend. It is a matter of uplifting their spirits to be able to come back again. We have taken it as a challenge. Sometimes you come in as a good side, and you fall short, but sometimes it is how you pick yourself up and come back stronger in the next challenge,” the optimistic gaffer said.
His remarks come after KCB endured a disappointing outing at the Dala 7s in Kisumu, where they failed to reach the Main Cup semifinals following a shock 14-12 defeat to Kenya Harlequin in the quarterfinals.The Bankers eventually settled for fifth place, a result that drew criticism from fans on social media and ended one of the most impressive runs on the National Sevens Circuit.
Despite the setback, Amonde chose to focus on the positives from the tournament while insisting the team has already shifted its attention to the next assignment.”It was a great tournament. The weather was fantastic. Kisumu is always good. Unfortunately, we were not able to go to the Main Cup. We pick lessons from here and keep on improving. We have seen the standards, and we have learnt our lesson. We will come back stronger because we are still going to defend our Kabeberi 7s title. It will be a challenge, but we know it is still in our hands. We can still go out there, play and get the results,” he said.
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The former Kenya Sevens captain also explained that the team’s struggles stemmed from experimenting with different player combinations throughout the tournament as they continue to integrate new arrivals into the squad. “The combinations that we were trying in every game. We were trying to get a good combination of players; sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, so these two weeks we will get ample time to work and see what works and what doesn’t,” Amonde explained. KCB will now head back to the drawing board as they seek to bounce back when the National Sevens Circuit resumes with the Kabeberi 7s, scheduled for Saturday, 15 to Sunday, 16 August at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi, where they will be aiming to successfully defend their title.