KCB Rugby head into the season’s defining weekend missing five of their most influential players, but head coach Andrew Amonde is refusing to let that dent his side’s ambitions at the Christie 7s.
Captain Vincent Onyala, George Ooro, Festus Shiasi, Nygel Amaitsa, and Samuel Asati have all been pulled away to Cardiff, Wales, where they will represent Kenya at the inaugural Ultimate Sevens Championship this Saturday. Their absence leaves a significant gap in KCB’s squad just as the Bankers push to seal both the Christie 7s title and the overall National Sevens Circuit crown.
For most teams, losing a captain and four other frontline stars in the same week would spell trouble. For Amonde, it is being framed differently, as a chance for the players waiting in the wings to prove themselves on the biggest stage of the domestic calendar.
KCB arrive at the RFUEA Grounds full of confidence, riding the momentum of a hard-fought 12-10 win over fierce rivals Kabras Sugar in the Embu 7s final last weekend. That victory pushed them six points clear at the top of the standings, meaning KCB only need a semi-final finish at Christie to retain their circuit title outright.
Drawn in Pool A alongside hosts Kenya Harlequins, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) Rugby, and Club Afrique, the Bankers will lean heavily on squad depth that has been tested throughout the season.
Kabras Sugar, sensing an opening, know they must win the tournament outright and keep KCB from finishing higher than third to keep their own title hopes alive — setting up a tense, high-stakes finale to the 2026 circuit.
Whether Amonde’s reserves can rise to the occasion may ultimately decide who lifts the national crown come Sunday.
