Kenya Cup: Road trips taking a tackle on Impala, admits coach Nyamwaya

Impala Saracens forward coach Onsongo Nyamwaya has blamed a punishing travel schedule for some of the club’s struggles in the ongoing Kenya Cup campaign.

Speaking to Citizen Digital after their recent outing, Nyamwaya admitted that long bus journeys have taken a physical toll on his players, affecting performances on match days.

Out of their five matches so far this season, Impala have been on the road three times, a reality Nyamwaya says is far from ideal for a rugby squad.

“I’ll be honest, the travelling has been tough. Out of our five games, we’ve had to travel three times. Rugby players are big boys, and sitting in a bus for hours really wears them down,” he said.

Despite the challenge, he noted that the fixtures leave them with little choice.

“We keep travelling and there is nothing much we can do, that’s how the fixtures came. There are higher powers that dictate how we play, where we play, when we play. They decided we should travel two weeks in a row and there’s nothing we can do,” said Nyamwaya.

The Nairobi-based side recently made the long 376-kilometre journey to Kakamega to face MMUST RFC, a match Nyamwaya conceded his hosts wanted more on the day.

Despite the challenges, Impala are already looking ahead, with focus shifting to their next fixture against Kisumu RFC, who are still searching for their first win of the season after five matches.

Impala currently sit ninth on the Kenya Cup standings with six points, their tally including a draw against MMUST and a dominant 50–17 victory over Daystar Falcons. Kisumu, meanwhile, are coming off a 40–28 loss to Daystar in Athi River.

Nyamwaya remains optimistic, backing his side to bounce back as the league heads into another crucial round of fixtures.