You might recall our folks telling us to work hard in school to emerge top in class just the way they did.
Well, if only we had access to our parents’ academic report cards then we might have told them that the only reason we couldn’t even get a sniff of the top 10 is because of the genes we inherited from them.
You might be asking what’s the relevance of such nostalgia to rugby. The answer won’t shock you!
Recently, the interview scorecards of the applicants for the post of Kenya rugby sevens head coach were splashed all over social media for anybody, even one with most basic device to access internet, to scrutinize and giggle.
(I will be the first person to say, I can’t authenticate the scorecards. In this age of fake news, I might as well be writing this article in Yokohama waiting for the third instalment of Bledisloe.)
Anyway back to the leaked scorecard where it turns out that our current head coach, Paul Murunga, was deemed the most suitable candidate for the post despite possessing the lowest tally of points compared to other applicants.
How he ended up with the top job makes our good old IEBC look like the most credible institution in this mighty land of ours.
If the Kenya Rugby Union board cannot do a credible job in choosing a qualified candidate among less than five applicants, then Mr Chebukati did very well dealing with millions of Kenyans.
KRU looks to have chosen Pau on the basis of pay, and pay only. Other than that, the servers at KRU we hacked during the selection.
The elephant in the room, however, is how is the head coach expected to motivate his players and assistants when his performance in the interview room is public knowledge where everyone with a pitchfork will come for him when things start going south?
The least the board could have done for Murunga is to come out and deny or confirm the alleged scorecard and explain the reasons for his selection rather let his abilities and competencies as a coach be a source of ridicule and comic relief to the Kenyan public looking for anything to distract itself from the shafting it is receiving from the government.
The former sevens coach Innocent Simiyu’s coaching CV was not experience-laden even compared to the current coach Murunga, but that did not stop him from doing a considerably good job during his tenure.
So I will stick my neck out and say despite the leak, Pau has what is needed to succeed in the job.
Moving on to the actual rugby in the pitch, Impala will host KCB in the finals of the Impala Floodlits (again) – over the years the encounter has become a Saturday afternoon cliché.
The Lions will most likely claim the cup (again) as the hosts Impala have not been very convincing in their earlier games.
Anyway I can’t begrudge KCB success, they can only play what is in front of them. Still may the best team win.
Finally, to the Safari Sevens where no major teams or nations have confirmed participation two weeks to the event other than our usual neighbours who grace the event yearly which is okay except they are not adding any value to the growth of the tournament or our sevens team.
We need high profile teams and countries in the event for it to be truly one of the premiere rugby events in Africa or else it will be just another leg of the national sevens circuit but with some tourists joining in on the fun.
I understand that KRU is faced with major financial challenges but now that Safari Seven is back at its spiritual home, RFUEA, we expect more out of this year’s event.
Hell, the union has had two years to prepare for this wedding and the guests shouldn’t be disappointed!
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