Sadili Rugby Lifts Obelix Bowl

Sadili Rugby Academy shocked and left many struggling to collect their jaws last Saturday during the

Obelix sevens staged at the Braeburn Garden estate school, Nairobi. The team comprised of junior players from Kibera of average age of 14, managed to post scores which many former Kenya Sevens players and rugby fanatics present at the venue lauded. Pool stages In the pool stage, the team took off to a flying start with a 3-0 thrashing of Red Land Roses 1. The second match however took a different turn for the team when they lost a narrow 3-2 to Naivasha nuts, a match which was filled with emotional jibe from the Nuts players who were trailing 2-0 by half time. It is considerate to state that the players were a little immature in containing the Nuts’ mental play; something that will surely propagate in them as they grow in the sport. In the last match of the pool stages, the boys managed to put up a spirited fight against Les Gaulois 1, a team comprised of current Kenya Cup players and seasoned French Rugby Expatriates, never looking down even when they encountered a humbling 5-0 loss. It is important however to note the ingenuity of the youngest players in the team; Brian Angote and Michael Ochieng who stepped up on defense and worked to orchestrate a series of fluid attack moves only to be caught at the edge of the area. Cup stages Meeting the Kenyan based British Army Rugby Team in a bowl semi final pairing was obviously a mean feat. But the boys didn’t even have a clue of who the british army were and I believe this mentality carried the team forward to winning 2-0. A Bowl Finals pairing against Red Land Roses 2 would be an easier task to accomplish, the final score 2-0 with George Ondondo (15) and Michael Ochieng (13) touching down for the winning tries. Players showing promise The event not only exposed the current top cream Sadili Rugby Players to top flight rugby competition but also created a possible opportunity for boot sponsorship from Red Land Roses.
Special thanks Special thanks go to Sadili Rugby Academy, the French embassy and Les Gaulois for facilitating the team’s participation in the event. -- FRANCIS ISIAHO MUHANJI

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7’s Grenoble University Rugby Clinic At Sadili Oval

Safari Sevens 2010 semi-finalists and 2012 quarter-finalists, the Grenoble University,  stopped to run a rugby clinic at Sadili Oval Sports Academy and a visit to the Kibera Slums on the 21^st of September 2012. 

The youthful team, which is managed by a charismatic coach and team manager, Monsieur Pierre Chaix, arrived at the Academy at 1430 hours and quickly set on running the excited academy players through the paces. Amongst the skills taught by the Grenoble University players were passing off the ground, the ruck, the scrum down and the line out.

When reached for comments on how he thought of the skill levels in the rugby academy, professional rugby player and captain of the Grenoble sevens side in this year’s Safari Sevens was quick to post a positive one, saying “these kids have improved three-fold of what they were last year, they are now aware of the competitive side of rugby and can not only pass the ball but also play a match against us.”

At 1600 hours, the team visited Ujamaa Community School, a beneficiary of Sadili Rugby Academy located in Lindi, Kibera, where they donated stationery. Kibera is among the harshest places in the world, and the Grenoble University players who affirmed that they were from affluent families back in France were hugely emotional at witnessing the conditions of life present in the slum. Thibault Gery, a second year student at the university and a core player who accidentally tripped and fell in a trench on the way to Kibera was as equally emotional as his teammate Ilwo. And they promised to come back next year with more stationery to boost levels of education of the schools involved in the rugby program.

The visit from Grenoble university forma part of a joint partnership between the Embassy of France and Sadili Oval, a non-profit sports NGO, to set up one of Kenya's first rugby academies, providing hope to young Kenyans, particularly those from the Kibera slums, who form part of Sadili's programs.

You can see more of this visit on 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23iWRt5jh-4

Millfield Coaches Introduce Rugby

Safari Rugby Camp came light when Paul Reed arrived on the 13th August and took to the pitch for an exciting week of introducing rugby to young children from Sadili's programs. Paul to trains the extraordinarily successful U15 rugby teams at Millfield School, UK, quickly got onto Sadili Oval Sports Academy's pitch and introduced rugby to a group of Under 12 boys for the first time, and within one day, got them really keen and excited to play. He was joined by Millfield School's Sports Director, Dr. Graeme Maw. 
Both coaches are in Kenya as part of a partnership with Sadili Oval to develop sports, in partnership with Virgin Atlantic, Embassy of France, Tamarind, and Sarova Hotels Group, amongst others. Special mention must be made of the Embassy of France for supporting the start of a rugby school at Sadili, from which the program began.

Paul played rugby for Saracens, Cambridge University, England Students and Hong Kong. He has coached Cranleigh school 1st XV and 7's sides and Surrey county U15's -U18's but now focuses on developing U15 rugby players at Millfield and teaching Accounting and Economics. 


Graeme is Sports Director at Millfield School. Graeme attained Bachelors, Masters and Doctoral degrees in sports science, physiology and management. He progressed to positions of performance manager or director with Queensland Swimming, British Triathlon and the Welsh Rugby Union, playing leading roles at multiple Olympic and Commonwealth Games along the way, and leading British Triathlon to the forefront of the world.

First Rugby School To Open In Nairobi Soon

Grenoble University Rugby Team were the first to visit and run training for aspiring young players, when the Kenya’s first Rugby School was opened today, Friday 4^th November 2011, at Sadili Oval Sports Academy in Langata. With initial support from the Embassy of France and French nationals in Kenya, the partnership is expected to develop a strong grassroots rugby that will feed into the Kenya Rugby Football Union’s national programmes.  In addition, training will be carried out under experienced coach, Jérôme Afonsi, who is based at the French School, and 6 locals will receive training to become youth coaches. All training will be offered free to those who are successful applicants. This becomes the first full-time rugby academy in Kenya. France is a strong rugby nation, and recently reached the finals of the World Cup, losing narrowly to New Zealand.