The future of Kenyan rugby was on full display at the just concluded Embu 7s on Friday at Kangaru Girls School, Embu County, where the Age-Grade Rugby Festival brought together budding talents in the U15 and U18 categories.
Youngsters from different schools and community teams lit up the tournament, with RPS Grassroots Academy standing out as the dominant force across most brackets.
In the U15 girls’ matches, RPS Grassroots proved unstoppable, beating Irari JSS 15–5 before blanking Nyangati JSS 20–0. The boys’ side followed the same script, registering back-to-back 20–0 wins over Kanothi JSS and Mashamba JSS to secure the title. At the end of the day, RPS topped both the boys’ and girls’ U15 rankings, with Nyangati and Irari settling for second and third in the girls’ category, while Mashamba and Kanothi closed out the boys’ standings.
The U18 girls’ competition was equally entertaining, serving up spirited battles from start to finish. RPS Grassroots edged Mutus Secondary 7–0 in the semis courtesy of a penalty try, while St. Clare Secondary stormed past Gacabari with a commanding 37–0 victory. The final brought together two sharp sides, but St. Clare rose above the occasion, overpowering RPS 22–0 to lift the crown. Mutus and Gacabari finished third and fourth respectively.
On the boys’ side, the U18 category offered thrilling rugby as Mutige Secondary stunned Mashamba 22–10 in the semis, before RPS dismissed Mufu Secondary 24–0 in a one-sided clash. The grand finale, however, belonged entirely to RPS Grassroots, who turned on the style to hammer Mashamba 30–0 and walk away with top honors. Mutige, Mufu, and Mutus filled out the rest of the standings.
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