Sergeant Dennis on parade in Adelaide
Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:58
Anyone who has been keenly following Kenya's progress on the IRB Sevens World Series will be pleasantly surprised, at least provisionally, or filled with trepidation - depending on which side you are when Africa's finest so far take to the pitch at Adelaide this weekend.
As is typically expected, coach Benjamin Ayimba has called upon the strongest available squad - with all the usual suspects, save two, lining up in Round Five of the IRB Series.
The most notable inclusion in the Kenyan travelling party is Sergeant Dennis Kolia Mwanja, better known as the 'Iron Man', a long standing Kenya Sevens legend who seems to come back from injury after injury.
Having been unfortunate to miss the Sevens World Cup in Dubai due to a recurrent knee problem, the soldier has been on track for the third chance brigade and has been furiously plugging away at defences in the local Kenya Cup league that has finally earned him a call up for the Adelaide leg.
Mwanja is a cross-generational link in the squad - having cut his studs while playing alongside the managerial quartet of coach Benjamin Ayimba, team managers Oscar Osir and Newton Ongalo, as well as assistant coach Felix Ochieng.
The five have come a long way since the IRB Sevens World Cup in 2001 in a journey that included the defining moment of Kenya's evolution against Samoa at the Commonwealth games - where Ayimba, Ochieng and Mwanja formed the pack and Ongalo was the sweeper to the then mercurial wing-cum-flyhalf Osir.
At the other end of the scale, another Dennis, Muhanji, earns his first call up to the team.
The young flyer from Nivea Kenya Harlequins RFC has been making a name for himself on the basis of his explosiveness and raw talent in the league and it will be interesting to see if he can dodge the jinx of so many new call ups who end up as seasonal waterboys before fading into the background.
Reassurance will however be in plenty for the Pride Of Africa as the Kayange brothers-Collins Injera and skipper Humphrey-reunite with stalwarts Allan Onyango and another returning veteran the rampaging Victor Sudi, elder brother to playmaker Innocent Simiyu, who is also on the second lease of life brigade after a long injury lay-off and will be itching to leave a mark preferably on somebody.
Brian Nyikuli, Sydney Ashioya, Biko Adema, Horace Otieno and Gibson Weru and Lavin Asego are the all too familiar usual suspects. Victor Opong misses this tour due to work and study commitments.
Kenya: Collins Injera, Humphrey Kayange, Horace Otieno, Lavin Asego, Horace Owiti, Victor Sudi, Sydney Ashioya, Allan Onyango, Dennis Muhanji, Biko Adema, Gibson Weru, Ian Simiyu.
By Dave Oundu
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