Oilers, KCB, and Kabras Sugar make Kabeberi 7s quarters

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Menengai Oilers, Kabras Sugar, defending champions KCB Rugby and Mwamba RFC have booked their places in the quarter-finals of the Kabeberi Sevens after winning both their opening matches at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi.

The four sides were among the teams that made the most of the new two-round format of the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit, where teams that win both matches secure their places in the last eight.

Oilers were the first side to make a strong statement, following their 29-7 victory over Blak Blad in the opening round with a 32-5 thrashing of Mombasa RFC in the second round. The results gave them two wins and a place in the knockout stage.

Kabras Sugar also maintained their perfect start. The Kenya Cup champions began with a 29-7 win over MMUST before beating Nakuru RFC 31-14 in the second round to join Oilers in the quarters.

KCB, who are defending their National Sevens Circuit title, were equally impressive. The Bankers opened with a 28-0 win over Nakuru before completing their second victory with a 29-14 result against MMUST.

The qualification was important for KCB after their disappointing quarter-final exit at the Dala 7s, where Kenya Harlequin edged them 14-12.

KCB coach Andrew Amonde said his team is determined to avoid another early exit.

“We know what happened at Dala and we have taken the lessons from that game. We have to be more focused in the quarters, take our chances and make sure we do the simple things right,” Amonde said.

He added that reaching the last eight was only the beginning of their challenge.

“We have worked hard to get here, but now it is about starting again. The knockout games are different, so we have to stay calm, play our game and be ready for whatever comes our way.”

Mwamba also secured their quarter-final place after beating Nondies 22-21 in round one before producing a bigger win against Catholic Monks, whom they defeated 35-7.