Rugby Sevens proves success

The 16th edition of the Safaricom Rugby Sevens held in Kenya was a great tournament despite earlier fears that a change of date from July to November as well as the venue from its traditional ground might be its waterloo due to rejection from die-hard fans. However, a change in venue from the Rugby Football Union of East Africa Grounds, which has hosted the tournament since its inception in 1996, to the Nyayo National Stadium made it more exciting and colorful than ever before. At the end of the event, members of the Organizing Committee had a glint in their eyes, with some shedding tears of joy while others were in stunned silence. "Shifting the tournament to a new venue and with new dates posed a number of challenges, but the end result brought collective smiles to the team that was involved in getting this tournament up and running," said Kenya Rugby Union Press Liaison Officer Michael Kwambo. "It was no mean feat drawing massive crowds to the Nyayo National Stadium but it happened. The over 19,000 fans who attended the final on was a testament to this." Samoa emerged winners to bag their second title at the event since their first appearance in 2005 after beating Samurai from Fiji 31-12 in a breathtaking display of rugby. Hosts Kenya, fielding a young team and who lost to Samrai 29-12 in the semifinals, must now go back and regroup to emerge stronger ahead of the HSBC Sevens World Series that kicks off in a week' s time. The tournament was a celebration of rugby where all involved contributed in creating the electrifying carnival atmosphere that prevailed over the stadium for three days from Nov 4 to Nov 6. The traditional "Isikuti" drummers whose tunes reverberated throughout the venue gave the tournament a unique, African feel, while the famous soundtrack played at the Dubai Sevens, which was incorporated into the tournament's public address system, played a great role in getting the fans involved in the matches. Samoa's performance of the "Haka" upon winning the title for the second time brought the curtains down on what was a thrilling Safaricom Sevens tournament. Kenya Rugby Union Chairman Mwangi Muthee told Xinhua that people should not fear trying new ideas. "I did not have any doubt in my mind that the tournament will not be a success because facts on the ground indicated that time to move it to a bigger and more spacious venue had come because the event was gaining in popularity and attracting more people." Muthee said that with Rugby being one of the disciplines to be competed at the 2016 Olympic Games, the way to bring medals to Kenya is through continuous and successful preparations in events of such magnitudes.