Black Blad coach Rotich picks positives after Shield win at Driftwood 7s
By Joel Masibo, July 28, 2025Kenyatta University’s Black Blad head coach Bernard Rotich is confident his side will improve as the national rugby sevens circuit progresses.
Following their Shield victory at the opening leg of the series, the Driftwood 7s held in Mombasa at the weekend, the tactician believes there is much more in store for his youthful squad.
Despite not advancing to the main cup contention, Black Blad were resilient throughout the weekend, culminating in a spirited Shield final performance. Speaking to People Sport on phone after the tournament, Rotich highlighted the team’s youthful composition and the importance of the experience gained at the coast.
“For us, it has been a good experience. We had a good number of newbies , 9 debutants at the Driftwood 7s. Even though we have won the Shield, at least they know what to expect in these competitive circuits,” he said.
Talent development
Black Blad, known for nurturing raw university talent, took the field with a relatively fresh squad with Douglas Sifuna wearing the captain’s armband, which Rotich believes showed promising potential despite narrow defeats in earlier rounds at the Mombasa Sports Club.
“Going forward, we are going to work on how to maintain the lead after getting a breakthrough. You will realize that the matches we lost were by small margins,” he added.
The tactician remains optimistic, noting that the return of injured players in the coming legs will bolster the team’s performance and provide much-needed depth and experience.
“With the inclusion of injured players after recovery, I believe they will bring value to the team. As a coach, I’ve picked the positives in this first leg, especially the structure of 7s, and I believe by applying them, we will get better as a team.”
After being ranked 13th with 3 points in the Driftwood 7s standings, Black Blad will now shift their focus to the second leg of the National Sevens Circuit with renewed confidence and valuable lessons, as Bernard Rotich earlier explained.
Meanwhile, KCB Rugby edged Strathmore Leos 15-14 in a high-intensity final to be crowned Division One Driftwood 7s champions. Strathmore Leos took the second spot with 19 points while Kabras finished third with 17 points. Bottom of the rankings in 16th is Mwamba with a single point.