It was tense 7s encounter with RVA. Suddenly the Kijabe lads broke through our defence and headed for our try area. For a moment I thought Otieno Mee had saved the day. He appeared from nowhere and lunged out executing a tap tackle (which is best described as tripping up the opponent with the palm of the hand and was legal, at least in our school days besides this was a very common RVA ploy to stop almost certain tries).
But alas, the player in question went down but somehow quickly managed to get to his feet again and dive over for a try. We were out of the RFUEA 7s shield for schools at the semi final stage. So close yet so far.
But let me back up a little.
As we waited for our next encounter with RVA, our “practice” matches against the other hapless school sides continued. It was easy to get bored and even lose concentration in these games. Besides rugby is best enjoyed when there is a worthy opponent. Without sounding arrogant the truth is that in the 15s game, apart from RVA no other school side in 1982 were worthy opponents. Inevitably the scores were always pretty high.
The 2 schools sevens tournaments (John Andrews and the RFUEA Shield) as well as the Kenya Combined Schools games therefore came in pretty handy in keeping things interesting.
Let’s start with the 7s. Despite the fact that in ’82 we were unbeatable in 15s, the 7s trophy’s including our own John Andrews Memorial Sevens remained elusive and beyond reach.
That year the RFUEA sevens were hosted at Nairobi School. Our first 7 consisted of the following; Wesonga (captain), PJ Okiro, Otieno Mee, Kimwele, Ayoki, Dablo, Kavila. We were stopped by RVA and the guy who did the most damage was one Kikwai (sp), a hard-running Masai and one of the very few non-whites in the RVA team that year. Still he was NOT the one who scored the last minute try that send us packing back to Changes. I remember because for a moment I thought Otieno Mee had saved the day. He lunged out and executed a tap tackle but although the RVA player in question went down, he somehow quickly managed to get to his feet again and dive over for a try.
During the John Andrews tourney in Lenana we got sweet revenge by emphatically dismissing RVA on Sterlings in the quarters only for a Patch team of sprinters with little or no depth in rugby to surprise us and bundle us out at the semi final stage.
Still something memorable happened during the John Andrews 7s that year that I need to mention. Willy Angawa deputy head of house in ’78 when we were in first form suddenly showed up. Angawa was quite a guy. He was a small chap and almost looked weak. In fact with his specs you would quickly label him some nerd who did not play any game more strenuous than Chess. But looks can be deceiving because Willy was actually a kingpin in the Mean Maroon scrum in his days, playing at Wing forward. He was also a member of the legendary 1977 Eric Shirley winning side. Even as suffering first formers Willy would give us long lectures on the “Kirk house spirit” which inspired and stuck with some of us for years. He also greatly encouraged me on my writing talent (he caught me writing out something in the dorm one day).
Ironically he appeared shortly before we took to the field against RVA in that tourney. It was a pleasant surprise for me to see him again after over 4 years. He pulled me aside and casually asked why he had not seen me use my pace. Well, I wasn’t that kind of player I retorted thinking in my mind that pace was for guys like Kimwele, which was absolutely true. He quietly explained that very few guys on the RVA side were fast and they had always known me not to be fast. “What do you think will happen if you suddenly break through, put your head down and sprint for the try line?”
And that is exactly what I did during that RVA game and scored a try that helped sink the stubborn Kijabeans. I remember David Kabibi of Kinyanjui telling me later that he had been shocked to realize that I could also sprint. The truth is that I have never been fast but I said nothing. Actually the significance here was not scoring the try but how I had done it this time round. What I did took the RVA players completely by surprise and they were left waiting for the usual pass which I never made. What I did not have in terms of speed was more than compensated by the surprise element. That day I learnt something about surprising opponents and doing the unexpected. And it doesn't apply to rugby only. It is a killer strategy for virtually anything. Willy Angawa is a true and worthy legend of Lenana. Last time I checked, he now lives in his native Wales, (yes he is Welsh by virtue of being born there even despite the fact that he is a brother to a famous Kenyan lady magistrate for many years who uses the same second name).
To sum up 1982 sevens, we were the Brazil of sevens with moves, great players, a great joy to watch etc. But we never ended up with any silverware to show for it. Dave Anderson’s well oiled devastating rugby machine was designed chiefly for the 15s game I guess.
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