KCB, Kabras Sugar set for final arm wrestle on National Sevens Circuit

KCB will be looking to wrap up their National Sevens Circuit title defence this weekend, after claiming the Embu 7s title in the penultimate weekend of action on Sunday.

The 2026 National Sevens Circuit in Kenya will head into its final weekend of action at the Christie 7s in Nairobi, the oldest official rugby sevens tournament in the country with its inaugural tournament back in 1964.

KCB will come into the weekend having won three of the five previous legs, their victory at the Embu 7s capped off with a tense 12-10 win over arch rivals Kabras Sugar in the grand final.

KCB managed to hold on through a try to Kenyan sevens star Vincent Onyala and Emmanuel Opondo, with a conversion proving the difference between the two sides and handing the table leaders swift revenge after Kabras defeated them at the Driftwood 7s in Mombasa, briefly claiming the top of the table.

The result was even more impressive considering many of KCB’s biggest stars have recently departed the club to go and play at the Ultimate Sevens tournament, which kicks off this weekend in Cardiff.

“I believe the team is in a better place,” Samuel Asati said to Citizen TV Kenya following their victory.

“It’s an honour for the team [to win], and I believe we have depth to finish the business. The boys we’re leaving back [in Kenya], they did the job well.

“The team is much capable of winning the Christie 7s, and winning overall.”

“I think we knew that we fell short in Mombasa,” KCB head coach Andrew Amonde added.

“The physical part of it was missing so, it was something we’d already discussed and we knew Kabras’ strength. If we were able to match them physically, we were able to get our chances and we were able to execute when it matters.”

The result in Embu leaves Kabras Sugar needing to not only win the Christie 7s, but aim to ensure KCB finish no higher than third to keep their six point lead at the top of the table intact, making a potential quarterfinal clash this weekend the most critical of the entire season.

For KCB, the side needs to finish in third or higher to secure their title defence, setting the stage for a thrilling final weekend of action at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi.

Following this weekend, all eyes will turn to the final sevens event in Kenya in 2026, the Safari Sevens in mid-October, with a focus on preparing the national side for their second crack in SVNS 2 in 2027.

CHRISTIE 7S DIVISION ONE POOLS

• Pool A: KCB Rugby, Kenya Harlequins, MMUST Rugby, Club Afrique

• Pool B: Kabras Sugar, KU Blak Blad, NYS Spades, Mean Machine

• Pool C: Menengai Oilers, Nondies, Leos, Kisumu RFC

• Pool D: Daystar Falcons, Mwamba RFC, Embu RFC, Impala RFC