Shujaa ready for the busy month of April run – Simiyu

Kenya Rugby Sevens head coach Innocent Simiyu has pointed out proper management of the team ahead of their tight schedule in the month of April will be key to their performance.

Shujaa will play three major tournaments in April ,the Hong Kong Sevens between sixth and eighth April,  followed by the Commonwealth Games between 13th and 15th and the Singapore Sevens slated for 28th and 29th.

“We knew that from the beginning of the season, so we have been considering the workload in our planning since the pre season. April for us is like the peak point of the season because we have Hong Kong Sevens which is a big, we have Commonwealth Games as the highlight of the season and the Singapore Sevens which we won two years ago.

“The question that needs to be answered correctly is how we manage our players because the hard work was done during the preseason to ensure that they are fit to play and they recover well,” ,” averred the coach.

Shujaa are drawn in pool B in the Hong Kong Sevens alongside Australia, France and minnows Spain in the HSBC World Rugby Series.

They will then fly for the Commonwealth Games where they will play in pool C against World champions New Zealand, fellow Africans Zambia and regular opponents in the HSBC Series Canada.

“Commonwealth is a big tournament and everyone wants to win a medal so our performance in Hong Kong will more or less determine the pace we use in the Commonwealth Games,” added Simiyu.

Barely two weeks from the Gold Coast games, Shujaa will close the busy April schedule with the Singapore Sevens which Simiyu wants his charges to replicate the 2016 performance, winning it under former coach Benjamin Ayimba.