The 2017-18 ESS campaign has been a little more competitive for the Resolution Impala Saracens Boks than the previous season. In the 2016-17 season, the Boks stood solid against Homeboyz, beating them 29-8 in the first leg & coming back from 0-20 to beating them 24-20. They beat Nondies 35-13 at home & proceeded to confirm dominance by beating them 31-5. It is only against Kabras and KCB in the crossover phase of the 2016-17 ESS trophy campaign did they lose 10-20 & 21-35 respectively. This season, the Boks, who are current ESS trophy defenders, lost to Homeboyz 12-27 , a team they dominated last season. Mwamba also came hard at the Boks, but they (Boks) managed to secure a 17-15 full time score. Nondies confirmed to be no push-overs this season. The match ended 33-32 & this is where the story of Evans Omondi becomes an important tale to read.
In the previous season, no Impala player achieved what he has been able to accomplish this season. Last season, Brian Opar had the highest number of Man Of The Match nominations at Kenya Cup. Shem Angugo & Ian Mabwa had two each in the ESS league. With only 3 league matches played, Evans Omondi has been voted Man Of The Match in all of them, first against Mwamba, then against Homeboyz and finally against Nondies. Omondi will be remembered for his antics on 16th December 2017. A stubborn Nondies II had camped in Impala half for a significant amount of time & seemed not in a hurry to vacate that part of the Impala Club pitch. The scoreboard at that time read Impala 23-25 Nondies. Almost everyone at the Impala Pavilion had postulated that the visitors would carry the day. The stands were tension filled, with every other fan balancing butts on the wooden edges. Those who could not handle the seats stood up, pacing up and down as Nondies kept piling pressure on Impala. Omondi on receiving pass, took matters into his own hands, swatting away two forwards before selling a dummy to an unsuspecting back. His run to the try box and subsequent try which was converted by Quinto Ongo inspired the Boks to hold their heads high for the next 10 minutes. Although Nondies scored & converted to flip scores to 32-30 before Quinto gathered the 3 points at the 80th for a 33-32 Impala win, Omondi’s ferocity & intelligence is still picturesque.
About Evans Omondi:
I started playing rugby at Sigalame when I was 17. It was an interesting space to be in. We had no rugby coach, no boots, no post bags. The only time I got to wear boots was when we qualified for the provincial competition. Boots were released from the store in the morning & returned in the evening when it was clear we didn’t have a chance to proceed to the nationals. This means – I never won a trophy while in High School. When I came out of Sigalame, life threw a curve ball & I had to fend for myself. I ended up at a mechanical company in Industrial Area. While there, through apprenticeship I learnt how to repair vehicles. When an opportunity to play rugby presented itself through a team called Brumbies, I took it up. But as the years waned, I felt like I needed a challenge. I joined the Standard Chartered Impala Saracens Rugby Academy in November 2016. The academy helped convert my raw energy into intelligent talent & I quickly moved to the Boks side. I initially had challenges with maintaining my place in the first XV but I am happy with my prospects this season. This year, my target is to play in at least 2 Kenya Cup matches. In 2019, I should be competing with other seasoned flankers for the starting jersey at the Gazelles level.