Ominde conceded his charges did not play as per his expectations and hence, need to pull up their socks if they are to achieve their targets for the 15s season.

“It wasn’t a good game for us…it was a fantastic start for us for about 25 minutes up until Strathmore scored the first try and we were now on the receiving end. They are a very good opponent. They dominated us on the set pieces…the lineouts, they were doing them so well. We have picked a number of lessons and moving forward, I believe we are going to do better,” Ominde said.

The boys’ decision making in the match was of concern to Ominde who said the team need to know when to go for the points (penalty kick) or a scrum down.

“We have to look at our plays off the kickoff. We need to know what to do with the penalty because at times, we went for the points when we ought to have gone for a scrum down, which we are traditionally good at. It was maybe to do with a little bit of decision making, which Strathmore capitalised on,” he explained.

The Kenyatta University side next play Nondies in the Floodlit semi-final on Saturday and Ominde says it is back to class for his charges as they analyse, identify and rectify on their weak links.

“We haven’t had much time with the ball…we have been conditioning. This Floodlit tournament we are using it as a preparations for the Kenya Cup. We are using it as a learning curve, such as the guys to put in and those who can gel. We are going to go back to class and maybe have some whiteboard sessions to see what we can improve on and when we come back next weekend, hopefully, we are going to be better,” the coach said.

Nonetheless, Ominde heaped praise on Kevin Gathu who was the star of the show as his four penalty kicks helped create daylight between the two varsity sides.

In particular, Gathu’s penalty, right after George ‘Japolo’ Ooro’s try in the second half for Leos, helped deflate their opponent’s burgeoning momentum and motivation for a comeback.

“It (the penalty) was very much crucial because it gave us some psyche. We were at the point of trailing but then we got the penalty, which he successfully converted. He didn’t have a good day in office because he missed like four penalties but then the whole team believed in him. I know when he was standing there to take the penalty, he gave it his level best,” Ominde said.

The coach also handed a debut to Dylan Ouma, a first year at the Kenyatta University, who he believes will be one to keep an eye on in the upcoming Kenya Cup season.

“He’s an age grade rugby player from Shamas Rugby Foundation…I knew him way before. We wanted to put him in the boiler room so that he gets used to the pressure that comes with playing in the Kenya Cup. This was a high-pressure game…Strathmore vs Blak Blad so I really wanted him to get some time in that hard, club rugby. He is a very good upcoming player and I know in the near future we are going to hear a lot about him. I am very sure that if all goes well, he is going to be in the under-20 team,” he said.

Nondies beat another university side, Catholic University Monks, 20-18 to secure passage into the semis.