The curtains fall on the 2015/16 domestic season when KCB play Kabras Sugar in the final of Kenyan rugby’s longest running competition, the Enterprise Cup, first played in 1930, at Nairobi’s RFUEA Ground on Saturday 18 June 2016.
The two sides have a blossoming rivalry, KCB holding the upper hand in the head to head, winning their previous meetings 13-3, 27-3 and 40-15 in three previous Kenya Cup encounters over the past two seasons. Kabras come into the final off a triumphant league campaign and will look to curtail this trend of results by posting victory on Saturday.
And what a final it is poised to be, the defending Enterprise Cup champions KCB putting their title on the line against the team that has rattled local rugby’s pecking order, Kabras Sugar, the newly crowned Kenya Cup champions who are keen to chalk up the season’s double by adding this prestigious trophy to their vault.
Talking about vaults, Kabras Sugar boasts a good sprinkling of players raided from the KCB vault, players who have been prominent in the side’s rise over the past few seasons and quite a number of them will be on display on Saturday. They include former Kenya international Anthony Ogot, an Enterprise Cup winner with KCB in 2004 and 2007, Geoffrey Messo,Perminus Macharia and Fabian Olando who won the trophy last season with KCB prior to his off season switch. These players, alongside the likes of Brian Tanga, Aluda Beda and the Fijian quadrumvirate of Jone Kubu, Jone Navuso, Apenisa Natabua and Sava Racigi will be key for the Kakamega based side keen on sweeping all before them.
Two feline sounds can be used to describe KCB over the past two seasons. Roaring in 2015 to the league and cup title, purring in 2016 as they relinquished the league title. Saturday’s clash at the RFUEA hands the Lions from Ruaraka one last chance to close out the season with a roar and they will certainly be leaving nothing to chance.
Led by the experienced John Ahenda who has lifted the title on three previous occasions in 2004, 2007 and 2015 and with a retinue of players such as Oscar Simiyu, Jimmy and Peter Kilonzo, Francis Mwita and Mickey Wanjala, they will not be in the mood to relinquish their title as they aim to become the first team in thirteen years to win back to back Enterprise Cup titles. The last team to achieve this was that great Impala Saracens team that won three straight titles between 2000 and 2002, sharing the 2003 trophy with neighbors and rivals Kenya Harlequin.
This match kicks off at 4.000pm and will be televised live on Zuku Sports. There will be curtain raising fixtures from midday when Stanchart Impala Saracens face Shieywe in the Mwamba Cup Division 2 final before Resolution Impala Saracens II play Top Fry Nakuru II in the Mwamba Cup Division 1 final.
Entry Ksh 300
Gates open at 11.00am