Resolution Health Impala RFC and visiting Kenya Commercial Bank RFC played out to a 6-6 draw at the Impala Club as the 2010 Kenya cup regular season drew to a close on match day seven.
Both sides had already secured playoff berths in the semi finals slated for Saturday 10th April 2010 but this did not stop them from putting out a scintillating display of fifteens rugby. The match was as tight as they come, marked by a tentative start where both sides prodded each other in the opening exchanges.
Impala soon took the game by the scruff of the neck; Prop Dennis Abenga was the face behind their first attacking foray that was thwarted meters from the KCB try line. Fly half Nato Simiyu soon played in winger Vincent Mose who again had to contend with resolute defense from the visiting Lions. Impala lock Jake Kamau tried crossing over the Lions try line but he too had to contend with more resolute defending; he was stopped agonizingly short of the KCB try line.
Impala's pressure would soon pay off when KCB conceded a penalty that scrum half Mike "Kiki" Mugo put over for a 3-0 lead. Their dominance at this stage of the game would see them win another penalty that Mugo missed. This seemed to bring KCB back into the game as they played their patient brand of rugby which saw fly half Jotham "Yahoo" Yahuma score a drop goal that leveled the scores at 3-3. Despite KCB losing flanker Anthony Ogot through a sin bin for a blatant punch on his opponent,action would remain closely contested as the two sides tied 3-3 going into the half time interval.
The second half was pretty much a copy and paste of the opening half,end to end stuff as the game remained as tight as they come. Impala piled on the pressure, earning a chance to bag three more points from a penalty after another KCB infringement. Moses Kola missed this attempt but would soon put the home side ahead with another penalty that brought the scores to 6-3.
KCB responded in typical fashion, pressing Impala but a Xavier Makuba moment saw them lose momentum. Makuba was penalized for striking an Impala opponent with his side on the ascendency. This definitely took the bite out of the Lions' roar as Impala continued to dominate the match.
A KCB attack saw them enter Impala territory, forcing the home side into an infringement that saw them concede a penalty. Kenya Sevens and KCB utility player Andrew "Forearms" Amonde, playing at flank, drilled home the equalizing penalty as the match ended 6-6, the first, th e only draw in the 2010 Kenya Cup.
Leaders Nivea for Men Quins trailed 0-12 at half time before succumbing to a 5-15 defeat at the hands of the "Wanyore" from Nakuru RFC in another fixture played at the Nakuru Athletic Club. This result means third placed Nakuru now travel to Nairobi to face second placed KCB while first placed Quins host fourth placed Impala when the Kenya Cup semi final playoffs take place on Saturday 10th April 2010.
Visiting Strathmore registered their second successive win, a 17-14 result over Mean Machine in a match that most probably served as a selection exercise for the Sharks franchise that will take part in the 2010 Bamburi Rugby Super Series that starts on Saturday 24th April 2010. Both sides were already out of contention for the Kenya Cup.
Mwamba RFC ended their Kenya Cup season with an 18-16 win over Nondescripts RFC.These sides were already out of league contention heading into this figure.
Attention now shifts to the 2010 Great Rift Ten-a-side taking place on Easter weekend (Saturday 3rd-Sunday 4th April) before the knockout stage of the Kenya Cup on Saturday 10th April 2010.
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