KCB Rugby coach Andrew Amonde has praised Kenya Harlequin gaffer Patrice Agunda for his impressive work in rebuilding Kenya Harlequin.When Agunda took charge, few gave him a chance of succeeding after inheriting a depleted squad following the departure of several key players. However, the coach has remained patient, gradually building a competitive side that is beginning to show signs of promise.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsThe scale of the challenge became apparent in September 2025 when Quins released close to 30 players, including some of their brightest stars such as Abel Matanda, Collins Bett, Frank Aduda, Marvin Nganga, Shaquel Bosire, Albert Alela, Wycliffe Ochieng and Antony Stephen Otieno, among others.The mass exodus threatened to derail the club's ambitions, forcing Quins to embark on a rebuilding process while maintaining their status as one of Kenya's established rugby sides.Although they finished ninth in the 2025/26 Kenya Cup standings with 21 points, comfortably avoiding relegation, their progress was more evident in the National 7s Circuit.Dennis Ombachi offers solution to Kenya Sevens player contracts standoffAcross the six legs contested, Quins reached four quarterfinals, with their best performance coming at the Dala 7s, where they reached the third-place playoff before narrowly losing to Mwamba RFC to finish fourth.They also missed out on the quarterfinals at the Driftwood and Christie 7s, but continued to show improvement as the circuit progressed.Their biggest statement, however, came at the Impala Floodlights, where they defied expectations to reach the final for the first time since 2014.Despite suffering a 47-7 defeat against KCB Rugby in the final, their journey to the title decider offered a glimpse of the progress made under Agunda.Amonde was particularly impressed by the transformation, applauding his former opponent for the work he has put into rebuilding the club.##NAJAVA_MECA_10095241##“Patrice has done a very wonderful job. Rebuilding Quins and taking them to a final shows how hard they are working. They still have a young side and might take time to build, but the work they are putting in can be seen. I am very proud of him and what he has done for the team, and I wish him well as the new season kicks off,” Amonde said.Interestingly, Saturday's final brought the two coaches together again, 12 years after they faced each other in the same competition as players.In the 2014 Impala Floodlights final, Amonde's KCB defeated Quins 30-3. This time, the former rivals occupied the technical areas, with Amonde guiding KCB to another title while Agunda led Quins in their first final appearance in over a decade.Meanwhile, Amonde believes KCB are also well-positioned for the upcoming Kenya Cup campaign after learning from their shortcomings last season.Knight Otuoma predicts bright future for Women's Rugby after Junior Lionesses' historic feat in SenegalReflecting on KCB's dominant Floodlights campaign, Amonde described the victory as an important confidence boost ahead of the Kenya Cup season.“It was a dominant win. The boys came out. In the beginning, when we started playing Floodlights, we came here to win, and this is just a statement of how much further we want to go come the Kenya Cup. It is a morale booster for the Kenya Cup. Here we come,” he said.KCB will start their 2026/27 Kenya Cup campaign with a match against arch-rivals Kabras RFC on Saturday, 21 November at the ASK Kakamega Showground.