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Kenya coach seeks better performance at rugby Sevens in Wellington

Xinhua, February 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

Focus will be on Kenya's performance at the fourth round of the International Rugby Board ( IRB) World Series in Wellington, New Zealand on Friday.

It will be the first assignment for Felix Ochieng, who was promoted to head coach after serving as an understudy to both England's Mike Friday and South African Paul Treu.

Ochieng is keen to salvage Kenya's season from going down under the drain. Kenya is pooled alongside Argentina, Scotland and Samoa in the New Zealand leg.

Ochieng will seek some answers and performance in New Zealand and qualify for the main cup contest and boost the country's hopes of finishing among the top four at the end of the series.

"We need to improve our performance. It is a challenge, but we are here because we deserve to play among the best. We are in transition and soon we will find our footing and the fast we get there the better for everyone," Ochieng said on Wednesday.

The coach has recalled veteran skipper Collins Injera returns to add not only speed but also vital experience for the Kenyans, with 51 tournaments already under his belt.

Hunting down Santiago Gomez Cora's try-scoring record, Injera is only 41 away from joining the Argentinean coach on 230 career tries and will be looking to score as many as he can this weekend.

The fourth round of the IRB World Series in Wellington continues the journey for all the participating teams as the road to Rio heats up.

At the end of the nine rounds this year, the top four teams will automatically qualify for the Olympics, with South Africa, Fiji, New Zealand and Australia currently occupying those spots. Endite