NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 18 – KCB RFC’s utility back Darwin Mukidza says they are unfazed by the threat posed by other teams at next weekend’s Floodlit Tournament at the Impala Grounds in Nairobi.
Mukidza said they welcome the pressure brought upon them as the defending champions and will use the same to push themselves to become better.
“Of course, there is always pressure when you are the defending champions because you are the target for everyone else behind you. But I believe it is good because if you want to perform better you have to work under pressure. We are a good team and I know we are more than equipped to handle such kind of pressure,” Mukidza said.
The tournament is the curtain raiser for the regular Kenya Cup season and offers teams a chance to test their fitness levels as well as technical aspects of their game.
Mukidza, who participated in the Rugby World Cup qualifiers in France two months ago, praised the technical bench for meticulous preparations ahead of the new season and tipped the bankers as the team to beat once again.
“What they are doing is spoon-feeding us with the necessary information to improve our game. As players, what we can do is to trust in them, in the system as well as structures and everything else will fall in place…so far so good,” he said.
He added: “We are still ticking our boxes. We are changing the way we are playing compared to last season. There is still much to do and the Floodlit tournament is a platform for us to see how everything is going.”
Echoing the words of his player, KCB back coach Mariko Mushilla remains buoyant that all the hard work in training will result in easy wins for the team on the pitch.
“If the systems are followed and players do their part…and we do our part. Then everything will be all right. We are in it to win it. From the get-go, that is our goal. We are hopeful that we will bag maximum points to enable us to retain the title,” Mushilla said.
He added: “We are taking it one game at a time. It has been six months since we last played 15s. The Floodlit is happening after two years due to the pandemic so it is good to have it back.”
KCB won the 2019 edition of the annual tournament after beating Menengai Oilers 23-14 at Impala Grounds.
The tournament makes a return after a two-year hiatus owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.
