The hunt for a new Prinsloo 7s champion is officially on after defending champions Strathmore Leos were knocked out at the pool stage of the 2026 tournament following a dramatic opening day at Nakuru Athletic Club.Download Our Mozzart Sport App For More NewsThe Leos’ title defence unravelled after a shock 19-14 defeat to MMUST RFC in their opening match before being held to a 5-5 draw by Daystar Falcons in their final pool fixture.##NAJAVA_MECA_9864179##Despite a commanding 36-0 victory over Kisumu RFC, the defending champions finished behind MMUST and Daystar in Pool B, ending their campaign before the knockout rounds.MMUST emerged as one of the biggest stories of the day, topping Pool B after stunning the defending champions before edging Daystar Falcons 10-7 to seal their place in the Cup quarter-finals.The Kakamega-based side announced themselves as genuine contenders when they recovered from an early deficit to defeat Strathmore. Defending champions breathing fire ahead of Prinsloo 7sPatrick Kluivert had given the Leos a 7-0 lead before Don Litali and Desmond Kirwa turned the match around.Rayan Makaka then intercepted a pass and sprinted away for MMUST’s third try to hand them a decisive advantage. Although Nahashon Mwangemi reduced the deficit, MMUST survived a late yellow card to Litali and held firm with six players to secure a famous 19-14 victory.##NAJAVA_MECA_9864053##They followed that performance with another disciplined display against Daystar, taking a 10-0 lead through debutant Alwine Kwemoi and Clarence Hope before withstanding late pressure after Paul Murwa scored for the Falcons.Kabras, KCB and Quins impressKabras RFC underlined their title credentials by finishing top of Pool A with three straight victories.Former Shujaa captain Oscar Juma sets condition for retirement from rugbyThe Sugarmen opened their campaign with a hard-fought 26-12 victory over Mwamba RFC before dismantling Embu RFC 47-0 in one of the performances of the day.Griffin Chao starred with two brilliant tries while Rayvon Ambale, Fredrick Wangila, Andrew Wangila, Adrian Khwesa and Mike Lukusi also crossed over.Kabras completed a perfect pool campaign by edging Kenya Harlequins 12-10 in a tightly contested top-of-the-table clash, with both teams advancing to the quarter-finals.Harlequins had earlier booked their place in the last eight after comfortable victories over Embu RFC (26-7) and Mwamba RFC (12-5), with Matthew Ouma proving influential throughout the day.##NAJAVA_MECA_9863474##Defending National Sevens Circuit champions KCB Rugby also progressed unbeaten from Pool C despite another slow start to the tournament.The Bankers recovered from an early deficit to defeat Nondescripts RFC 29-12 before overcoming National Youth Service (NYS) Spades 14-0 to secure qualification. They later completed their pool campaign against Catholic University Monks to finish top of the group, while Nondescripts joined them in the quarter-finals after victories over Catholic Monks and NYS.Falcons shine despite missing outDaystar Falcons produced the most dominant display of the opening round when they demolished Kisumu RFC 41-0, the biggest winning margin of the tournament so far.Augustine Owino and Arnold Agonda each grabbed braces as the university side ran riot, but successive defeats to MMUST and a 5-5 draw against Strathmore meant they had to settle for second place in Pool B.Nondies RFC captain breaks silence on transfer speculationBlak Blad continue giant-killing runNewcomers Black Blad RFC emerged as one of the surprise packages of the tournament after topping Pool D with an unbeaten record.They began by stunning hosts Nakuru RFC 12-7 after overturning a halftime deficit before upsetting Menengai Oilers 17-12 in another spirited display.Blak Blad rounded off a flawless pool campaign with a 17-5 victory over Impala RFC to finish on maximum points.Hosts Nakuru recovered from their opening defeat to beat Impala RFC 25-5 before overcoming Menengai Oilers to snatch the second quarter-final spot from Pool D.Oilers endured a disappointing day after receiving a walkover against Impala, who arrived late for their opening fixture due to travel challenges, before suffering defeats to both Blak Blad and Nakuru.Quarter-finalists confirmedAt the end of the pool stage, eight teams progressed to the Cup quarter-finals:Pool A: Kabras RFC, Kenya HarlequinsPool B: MMUST RFC, Daystar FalconsPool C: KCB Rugby, Nondescripts RFCPool D: Black Blad RFC, Nakuru RFC
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