This archive report was first published on 21 August 2019.
Published on August 21, 2019, Upper Hill, a Nairobi-based rugby team, has been crowned the East Africa Rugby Sevens champions after defeating Laiser Hill 27-14 in a thrilling match in Arusha, Tanzania.
The team, coached by Thomas Walgwe, emerged victorious from a pulsating 'battle of hills' against their compatriots and immediate champions Laiser Hill on Wednesday to bag their maiden sevens title.
Upper Hill's victory guarantees them a top spot in the round-robin tournament, with Laiser Hill still having a chance to match their opponents on points if they win their game in hand. However, the organizers have announced that ties will be broken by virtue of head-to-head record.
Upper Hill's switch to sevens this year has paid off, as they have now dethroned Kevin Atandi-coached Laiser Hill as champions at both national and regional level. The team had previously lost to Dagoretti in Nairobi regional games in March, prompting them to switch to sevens.
Thomas Walgwe, the coach of Upper Hill, expressed his gratitude to his team, saying, 'We are not underrating sevens but rugby is 15s and we will try to get back next year but first I would like to thank my boys who were very clinical against our rivals Laiser Hill because we knew they were our biggest hurdle.'
