Nakuru Stun Quins, New Champion Set to Emerge at 2025 Driftwood 7s

In a dramatic twist at the 2025 Driftwood 7s, defending champions Kenya Harlequins were bundled out by a resilient Nakuru RFC side, who sealed a last-minute 19-17 win to advance to the main cup semifinals and keep their title hopes alive.

The opening stages saw Nakuru’s utility back Cyprian Ombaso slicing through the Quins defence with a beautifully timed dummy, capping it off under the posts before converting his own effort for a 7-0 lead.

But Quins responded almost immediately thanks to Dennis Nyongesa’s try under the posts that was calmly converted by Amon Wamalwa to draw the game level at 7-7 going into halftime.

The second half saw Quins struck first. Dennis Wamalwa touched down to give his side a 12-7 edge. The title defence looked back on track.But Nakuru weren’t done. Kenya 7s international Chrisant Ojwang stormed down the right channel to level the scores, with Ombaso adding the extras to swing the lead 14-12 in Nakuru’s favour.

A late unconverted try gave Quins a slender 17-14 cushion. But fate had other plans.

In the dying moments, Nakuru constructed one final move down the far touchline. With Quins defence stretched thin, they found the gap breaking hearts in the Harlequins dugout and sealing a memorable 19-17 win.

SEMI-FINAL DRAMA & SUDDEN DEATH THRILLER

Nakuru’s will now face Strathmore Leos, who survived a rollercoaster quarterfinal against Nondescripts RFC. Nondies looked set for a comfortable win after racing to a 10-0 lead thanks to two early tries.

But Stanslous Shikoli whose two tries pulled Leos level 10-10, sending the tie into extra time.

In sudden death, it was Leos who kept their cool. After building pressure phase by phase, they crossed over for the golden try winning 15-10 and booking their place in the last four.