Close but not enough: Strathmore's Ojal gutted after 7s loss to KCB

Strathmore Leos head coach William Ojal has voiced his frustration after his side narrowly missed out on the national sevens title, losing to KCB RFC in the final.

Despite the heartbreak, Ojal said he was proud of his players’ commitment and resilience throughout the sevens season.

“Obviously, it felt very bad because we gave it our all, but we were playing also for our guys who had been pulled out, our two captains, Gabi Ayimba and Shem Okola, and also our Olympian, Nigel Amaita. So, having those three people in a sevens game out, it hurts the team a bit, but for the boys to play the way they did against KCB showed that the ethos and belief is there as a team, as a unit,” said Ojal.

The tactician credited teamwork as the team’s driving force, with every squad member putting in a massive shift across each tournament.

“Yeah, so for us, I'd just say, when we say rebuilding, it's actually still the same players we've played from last season, the only person we lost was Japolo (George Ooro) who went to KCB. So it's just the same guys, it's just about, I wouldn't say rebuilding, it's about realigning. Everyone understands what we want to do, what we want to achieve as a unit, because we can't single out one person,” noted Ojal, a former rugby player.

“You can't say it's the coach, you can't say it's a certain player, it's about coming together and understanding what everyone brings to the table. So that is what I think has been our biggest asset this season,” he added.

Looking ahead, Ojal hopes to carry the same spirit and form into the longer format of the game, the Kenya Cup.

“That's the plan, but 15s is a whole different ballgame, so it's about ticking certain boxes first and picking up a few things from 7s which are things like ensuring we're all on the same page, ethos stays the same, and we keep doing just what we have agreed we want to do as a unit, and what we want to do going forward. So yes, we can pick a few things from 7s but 15s is a different ballgame.”