Nairobi, Feb 17 (IANS) The Kenyan men's national rugby team made a triumphant return from a series tour after their Bowl and Plate winning performances in Wellington and Las Vegas legs, for the first time in the 2011/2012 IRB World Sevens Series.
Sponsors Kenya Airways treated the side to a sumptuous breakfast. In the midst of the smiles, high fives and glowing words of praise for the squad, it was not lost to those present that the resounding success of the latest tour was embedded on the fielding of seasoned campaigners.
Team captain, Sydney Ashioya, one of the bedrocks of the side since 2006 when Kenya started her ascent in the IRB Sevens Series, took the opportunity to once again call on sustained investment in developing the side.
"We need to blend our youth and experienced players much faster and in a better way because if we keep relying on the old dogs, once they leave we get the situation we were in the first two tournaments," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
"We need young players coming through to learn from the old guys the tricks they have and be able to build a more consistent side instead of relying on two or three guys. We need to ensure we can put out 12 good players at any time," Ashioya said.
He shifted his focus on the forthcoming expanded Hong Kong Sevens that will feature 24 teams as opposed to 12 next month with Kenya keen on a performance that will go a long way in preserving her status as one of the core sides of the tournament when the International Rugby Board (IRB) makes the review.
"We will still play the six games we play in any tournament. It might be a bit different since they are thinking of increasing the core teams so it will be a bit more competitive and it will be a real challenge that we want to sit down and plan.
"Going forward, we are bracing ourselves for a tough tournament, it will be much harder than where we are coming from but we are intent on producing a similar performance," said the captain, who scored four tries in the Hertz Sevens in Wellington where Kenya beat Australia 12-7 in the Bowl Final.
The team moved on to register their first Main Cup quarterfinal appearance before beating Argentina 21-7 in the Plate final following a 14-19 loss to Samoa in the last eight.
"A lot more experienced hands travelled in the team and it was much easier to get the systems going and going forward, it is my hope we shall have the same team so that we can consolidate the gains we made," he said.
Sponsors Kenya Airways treated the side to a sumptuous breakfast. In the midst of the smiles, high fives and glowing words of praise for the squad, it was not lost to those present that the resounding success of the latest tour was embedded on the fielding of seasoned campaigners.
Team captain, Sydney Ashioya, one of the bedrocks of the side since 2006 when Kenya started her ascent in the IRB Sevens Series, took the opportunity to once again call on sustained investment in developing the side.
"We need to blend our youth and experienced players much faster and in a better way because if we keep relying on the old dogs, once they leave we get the situation we were in the first two tournaments," he was quoted as saying by Xinhua.
"We need young players coming through to learn from the old guys the tricks they have and be able to build a more consistent side instead of relying on two or three guys. We need to ensure we can put out 12 good players at any time," Ashioya said.
He shifted his focus on the forthcoming expanded Hong Kong Sevens that will feature 24 teams as opposed to 12 next month with Kenya keen on a performance that will go a long way in preserving her status as one of the core sides of the tournament when the International Rugby Board (IRB) makes the review.
"We will still play the six games we play in any tournament. It might be a bit different since they are thinking of increasing the core teams so it will be a bit more competitive and it will be a real challenge that we want to sit down and plan.
"Going forward, we are bracing ourselves for a tough tournament, it will be much harder than where we are coming from but we are intent on producing a similar performance," said the captain, who scored four tries in the Hertz Sevens in Wellington where Kenya beat Australia 12-7 in the Bowl Final.
The team moved on to register their first Main Cup quarterfinal appearance before beating Argentina 21-7 in the Plate final following a 14-19 loss to Samoa in the last eight.
"A lot more experienced hands travelled in the team and it was much easier to get the systems going and going forward, it is my hope we shall have the same team so that we can consolidate the gains we made," he said.
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