National Youth Service (NYS) Spades head coach Martin Munga has revealed the rigorous training program and discipline that powered his side’s eye-catching display at the Prinsloo 7s.
Although the Spades finished bottom of their pool, their fearless style of play, defensive resilience, and willingness to challenge established sides earned them widespread praise throughout the tournament in Nakuru. NYS opened their campaign with a narrow 12-5 defeat to the Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA) Monks before pushing the defending champions KCB Rugby in a closely contested match that eventually ended in a 14-0 loss.They wrapped up the pool phase with a 10-0 defeat to Nondies RFC.
The side’s campaign continued in the Challenge Trophy, where they put up another spirited fight before losing 12-5 to Menengai Oilers in the quarterfinals.They later fell to Kisumu RFC in the 13th-place semifinal to end their tournament. Despite the results, Munga believes the performances showed the team is moving in the right direction.”We did not get the results we wanted, but we are getting there. We had a quarterfinal target; we wanted to go past the pool stages,” Munga told Mozzart Sport.
The coach attributed the team’s progress to meticulous preparation, with video analysis playing a central role in sharpening both tactical awareness and decision-making.
“We have a lot of video sessions; we analyze our games a lot, we analyze the opponents, and we try to train under pressure. We work on the red zones mostly when we are exiting and the green zones when we are attacking,” he explained. Preparing the squad, however, comes with unique challenges as the players juggle military duties, academics, and training.
According to Munga, the players often begin their day long before sunrise, before balancing their responsibilities with multiple training sessions.”They normally wake up at 3 or 4 am; they have duties they are supposed to do; we have some that attend classes, and the rest are doing national service,” he offered.”Depending on where the week is, we have two to three sessions in a day, split between video sessions, fieldwork, and physical fitness,” he explained.
Munga also lauded his players’ commitment and attitude, saying their discipline has made coaching the side a rewarding experience.”I love being the coach of this team because, first of all, they are disciplined, and they are very dedicated, and they love learning. It is very encouraging to coach them.”The Spades will now shift their focus to the Dala 7s in Kisumu, where they have been drawn in Division Two Pool B alongside Western Bulls, Busia Borderucks, and Kisii Polytechnic as they continue their pursuit of a breakthrough performance on the National Sevens Circuit.