Mombasa: The 36th edition of the Driftwood 7s kicked off at the Mombasa Sports Club, with an age-grade curtain-raiser setting the stage on Friday, followed by the senior men’s competition on Saturday that saw hosts Mombasa Rugby face consecutive defeats and pool leaders begin to emerge amid a day of surprises and recoveries.
According to Kenya News Agency, the opening day’s events highlighted the importance of nurturing young rugby talent, as emphasized by Mombasa Rugby Club Chairman, Rodgers Lai. The tournament aims to develop future rugby stars from the Coast region while showcasing senior talent.
Saturday marked the fourth leg of the 2026 SportPesa National Sevens Circuit, with Kabras RFC making a strong statement through their 43-0 victory over Mombasa, with Mike Lukusi contributing two tries. Nondescript RFC surprised many by defeating Kenya Harlequin 17-5, while Uganda’s Emerging 7s celebrated their first Driftwood appearance since 2013 by triumphing over KU Blak Blad 27-14, thanks to Dennis Etwau’s late try.
Defending champions KCB Rugby commenced their campaign with a 22-5 win over Kisumu RFC, narrowly defeating Uganda 7s 12-7 in their second match. Daystar Falcons and Menengai Oilers also kicked off with wins against Kilifi RFC and Nakuru RFC respectively, while NYS Spades impressed on their debut, drawing with Mwamba and securing a 15-12 victory over Strathmore Leos.
One of the day’s biggest surprises occurred in round two, with hosts Mombasa defeating Kenya Harlequin 22-19, leaving the Quins and Strathmore Leos winless after two matches. MMUST RFC’s Tyson Juma delivered a standout performance, achieving a hat-trick to overturn a 15-0 deficit and beat Strathmore Leos 24-15.
By the end of the second round, Kabras, KCB, Menengai Oilers, Daystar Falcons, Uganda 7s, and Mwamba held strong records, while Kenya Harlequin and Strathmore Leos faced uncertainty entering Sunday’s final pool round and knockout stages.
The Driftwood 7s, supported by a Sh1.5 million sponsorship from Tusker, will conclude on Sunday. The circuit will then continue with the Embu Sevens on September 5-6 and wrap up with the Christie Sevens in Nairobi on September 12-13.
