Samuel Motari was first to go over the Menengai Oilers try line, but Mark Kwemoi failed to gather the extra 2 points. Kwemoi redeemed himself minutes later, burning more than 30 metres to scoring a try which he converted with finesse. Paul Mutsami was next on the scorers’ register. His dive-try at the corner, which Nyandigisi found a little difficult to convert sent the scoreboard reading 17-0 at half-time. Ian Minjire added his name to the scorers’ list in the second half. Kwemoi was unsuccessful with the conversion attempt. Although Oilers’ Derrick Mbaire scored an unconverted try, it was too late. Impala had already run away with the match – and the Kabeberi 7s 2017 trophy!
Fulltime: Resolution Impala Saracens 22-5 Menengai Oilers
Resolution Impala Saracens 7s Assistant Coach – Nick Abok:
It felt surreal. We had a bad day 1 but a good day 2. But the maain take away of the day is we played to our potential. We played for each other. That was great attitude from the boys. I have to commend Mark Kwemoi who has risen from the Academy. He has gone through every step of the Impala Saracens set up and you could see in that final he was in control
Resolution Impala Saracens 7s Head Coach – Oscar Osir
At the beginning of day 2, we had a mental shift. We knew we’d beaten KCB last weekend. All that mattered was this mental shift and the tackling. We knew that if we couldn’t tackle KCB, our goose would have been cooked. What was good about that match was we didn’t concede any points. Kabras is a momentum team. We understood that if we could shut them out earlier & scored 2 or more tries, the game would be ours to control. The reality of the matter going into the final was – we were defending champions. I am a big fan of how Oilers play, I believe many others are too. They have the confidence, but we have identified a process of winning at this point & it begins from preparation to the execution. I can say that we probably have not identified all the bits and pieces that constitute this process, but the best thing is we are improving. We look forward to taking it a notch higher at Prinsloo.
Resolution Impala Saracens Director of Rugby – Fred Ollows:
The main thing to write home about that final is how clinical we were. You could tell that the boys went out there with focus which was mainly to curtail Oilers’ attack. A team is always work in progress. We have a big squad to choose from. The team you saw play this weekend is not 100% packaged, but we still hold the team named on Thursday responsible to deliver on Saturday. The week leading up to the final was filled with intense sessions, this was a contributor to success. What should however not be forgotten is the mental state of players. The confidence matters a lot. Many players end their rugby careers without being crowned champions. It is that mental state of sheer confidence that breeds championship material. Makori Davis had a great weekend. So did Anthony Nyandigisi. We however have to give thought to players like Mark Kwemoi & Hannington Mbaka, the young lads who put their best feet forward this weekend.
Jeff Gangla, Former Resolution Impala Saracens Chairman:
I must congratulate the team. They had a challenging draw – KCB, Kabras & Oilers which are all good teams on a typical day 2. This performance will obviously get rewarded! The players and technical bench did a good job this weekend. The defining factor for this highly competitive sevens season will be consistency. We could see different winners in different legs, but a team that gets into the semis & finals most number of times might just lift the overall trophy.