At a dinner event held within the Impala Club on 4th August 2017, Samson Bogongo Onsomu took home the Most Valuable Player award. The scrum-half who has been involved in rugby since the age of 15 has matured through the process & at 25 is an undisputed component to Kenyan rugby success. He came off the bench to win the Man of The Match accolade when Kenya played to a 19 all draw at the RFUEA. As written in a pre-match webpost, many Resolution Impala Saracens fans would have expected to see him start on Sunday 20th August against a visiting Hong Kong, but it was only until the second half that he came on. He not only introduced organisation, but also changed the tempo of the match completely!
Local rugby pundit – Peter Ndonga of osbke.com in a Kenya XV player rating article awarded Onsomu a 9 out of 10 score. The description went as follows:
Samson Onsomu (9) – It is rare that a Man of the match is picked from the substitutes, coming on early in the second half, the little Fijian did not put a foot wrong. He did what Lyle failed to for most of the match, was quick off the break down, made the right calls at every turn.
Resolution Impala Saracens Director of Rugby – Mr. Fred Ollows in his weekly analysis post posted on his Facebook profile painted a picture consistent with Ndonga’s:
Samson Onsomu, on the other hand, did the Kenya jersey justice.The diminutive half back, reserve on this day, brought an air of order and threat around the Kenya base, as well as crisp delivery off it. This play interrupted Hong Kong dominance in a match they will feel hard done not to win. It is a core contribution to the eventual 19-all score.
Speaking to our media correspondent on phone after a morning gym session, Onsomu’s expertise in insight was neatly outlined with humility:
At the back of my mind while sitting on the bench, I knew Hong Kong were at one point going to get affected by Nairobi’s atmospheric conditions. We should have started the game at pace and sped it up whenever we had the opportunity to do so. I came on, sped up the game & this immediately changed the playing surface. My best point of the game was a quick ruck that I did, almost went over the chalk but was denied inches by defence. Going into Saturday, all we need to do is minimize our structural mistakes & play at a desirable pace.
We asked him what his future plans for the Kenya XV are. Onsomu’s answer was uniquely futuristic:
Well, many people would want to play now and into the future. But the best plans lie in moulding players younger than me into becoming better half-backs. I am currently working to offer insight to younger players. Edwin Achayo who is older than me, mentored my steps. My fitting into the Kenya XV was therefore fluid. On matters depth, I have seen young players coming through for their clubs & are hungry for the red jersey. Onus is now on us to groom them into what we would like to watch & cheer on tomorrow.