No Onyala, Omondi as Wambua names squad for Dubai 7s

Kenya men’s rugby 7s team head coach Kelvin ‘Bling’ Wambua hopes that  Vincent Onyala and Tony Omondi will rejoin the side after sorting out their contractual standoff with the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU).

Wambua says he has been in contact with the duo and believes they will be back in the team, in the near future.

Onyala and Omondi were conspicuously missing in the 13-man squad named by Wambua Thursday morning, which includes debutant Bryan Ondego, for the forthcoming Dubai Sevens as the team makes a return to the HSBC world rugby series.

In Dubai, Kenya will face off with the series defending champions France, Australia and South Africa in Pool A.

This is despite their immense contribution to the team, as it fought for a place back to the premier world rugby league last season.

“For them it is just a contractual issue, something we are talking about. Hopefully, by the time we come back (from Dubai and Cape Town 7s), everything will be sorted. It is not like they have been chased away from the team, it’s just that they haven’t signed the contracts yet,” the coach said.

The two co-captained the side to the Paris Olympics via the Africa Cup, which they won in Harare, Zimbabwe in September last year.

However, Wambua explained the two would not have made it to squad for the Dubai and Cape Town legs of the World Series, due to lack of match fitness.

“We also have to understand that even if they showed up, they still would have been required to meet some demands in terms of the key performance indicators (KPIs). We decided to give others the opportunity to showcase what they can do since they haven’t been around with us.

"It is going to be a very long season also, we are just getting started,” further elucidated Wambua.

The coach is aware that a tough challenge awaits them in Dubai.

“There is no hiding place. Every pool is equally hard. I know we are playing against the first, third and fourth-ranked teams from the Olympics. Our focus solely is on the first game, that’s where we want to put all our energy because we want to have a good start,” observed Wambua.

“The good thing is that many of the teams are in the process of transition after the 2024 Olympics. If we are able to bring our best game, then I believe it is possible to maintain our core status. We want to be realistic about our chances of winning a leg, that is going to be very difficult. It is a step-by-step process,” he said.

Shujaa are set to jet out on Monday ahead of the opening match on Friday in Dubai.

The squad will also be travelling down to Cape Town immediately after Dubai for the second leg of the series

1.Kevin Wekesa

2.George Ooro(CC)

3.William Mwanji

4.Brian Mutua

5.Dennis Abukuse

6.Samuel Asati(CC)

7.Nygel Amaitsa

8.Chrisant Ojwang

9.Patrick Odongo

10.Festus Shiasi

11.Benson Salem

12.Floyd Wabwire