The 36th edition of the Driftwood 7s got underway at the Mombasa Sports Club, Friday, with an age-grade curtain-raiser, before the senior men’s competition burst into life on Saturday with hosts Mombasa Rugby suffering back-to-back defeats and pool leaders emerging in a day of upsets and comebacks.
Friday’s proceedings were given over to age-grade rugby, with schools and youth sides from across the region turning out to open the three-day coastal festival.
Mombasa Rugby Club Chairman, Rodgers Lai, said the tournament was designed to nurture the next generation of Coast rugby talent alongside the senior showcase.
Saturday’s action, the fourth leg of the 2026 SportPesa National Sevens Circuit, saw Kabras RFC set the early pace with a 43-0 demolition of hosts Mombasa, Mike Lukusi scoring a brace as Kabras served notice of their title intentions.
Nondescript RFC upstaged Kenya Harlequin 17-5, while Uganda’s Emerging 7s marked their first Driftwood appearance since 2013 with a 27-14 win over KU Blak Blad, Dennis Etwau sealing it late.
Defending champions KCB Rugby made the perfect start with a 22-5 win over Kisumu RFC, before edging Uganda 7s 12-7 in round two. Daystar Falcons and Menengai Oilers also began strongly, beating Kilifi RFC and Nakuru RFC respectively in both rounds, while newly promoted NYS Spades impressed on debut, drawing with Mwamba before beating Strathmore Leos 15-12.
The day’s biggest shock came in round two as hosts Mombasa stunned Kenya Harlequin 22-19, leaving the Quins winless after two outings alongside Strathmore Leos. MMUST RFC produced the standout individual moment of the day, with Tyson Juma completing a hat-trick as his side overturned a 15-0 deficit to beat Strathmore Leos 24-15.
By the close of round two, Kabras, KCB, Menengai Oilers, Daystar Falcons, Uganda 7s and Mwamba held unbeaten or near-perfect records, while Kenya Harlequin and Strathmore Leos faced an anxious wait heading into Sunday’s final pool round and knockout stages.
The Driftwood 7s, boosted by a Sh1.5 million Tusker sponsorship this year, continues on Sunday before the circuit resumes with the Embu Sevens on September 5-6 and concludes with the Christie Sevens in Nairobi on September 12-13.
By Joan Kinuthia
