New dates for National Sevens Circuit as players eye national team slots

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RUGBY: New dates for National Sevens Circuit as players eye national team slots

Joel Omotto 10:00 - 13.06.2023

Kisumu will host the opening round of the series on July 1 as KRU seeks to use the tournament to select Shujaa players for upcoming assignments

The National Sevens Circuit will now kick off on July 1 with the opening round, the Dala Sevens at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Mamboleo, Kisumu City.

According to Kenya Rugby Union, the changes have been necessitated by the rescheduling of the Tisap Sevens which was originally set for June 24 in Eldoret with the tournament now set to be held on September 2 at the Eldoret Sports Club.

The coastal city of Mombasa will host the second round, the Driftwood Sevens, at the Mombasa Sports Club on July 8, before the circuit breaks for the World Rugby U20 Trophy taking place in Nairobi from July 15-30.

Nakuru will play host to the third round, the Prinsloo Sevens at the Nakuru Athletic Club on August 5 before Nairobi’s RFUEA Ground hosts the Christie Sevens on August 12.

Nairobi will also play host to the circuit finale when the George Mwangi Kabeberi Memorial Sevens is held on September 9.

First played in 1999, the National Sevens Circuit is an annual series of rugby sevens tournaments run by host clubs in conjunction with the KRU featuring teams from across the country.

The 2023 season will take on more importance as it will also be used to select players to the Kenya Sevens team ahead of major assignments that include the Olympics qualifiers and next season’s Challenger Series.

Shujaa suffered relegation from the World Rugby Sevens Series last month and KRU chairman Sasha Mutai has said that an overhaul of the squad will be among a raft of changes that the Union will be making as they seek to return the team to its former glory.