By Gran Chico | August 22, 2026
The 36th edition of the Driftwood 7s delivered a thrilling opening day at Mombasa Sports Club on Saturday, with heavy rain, dramatic upsets and fierce competition taking centre stage as the SportPesa National Sevens Circuit reached its fourth leg.
Wet and slippery conditions tested the players’ handling, speed and composure, but they did little to dampen the enthusiasm of fans who turned up to watch 36 teams battle for crucial circuit points, with 16 teams featuring in Division One and 20 in Division Two.
A major highlight of this year’s tournament has been the return of Uganda Emerging 7s, also known as the Rugby Cranes 7s, who are participating as the official international guest team under captain Ian Munyani. Their appearance marks the first time a Ugandan side has featured at Driftwood in 13 years.
In Pool A, Kabras Sugar started strongly with a convincing 43-0 victory over hosts Mombasa Sports Club, while Nondescripts shocked Kenya Harlequin 17-5.
Mombasa Sports Club, however, bounced back in spectacular fashion, stunning Harlequin 22-19 in one of the biggest results of the opening day. Nondescripts later defeated Mombasa 22-10, while Harlequin and Kabras settled for a 17-17 draw.
Circuit leaders KCB Rugby also showed their strength in Pool B. Fresh from retaining the Kabeberi 7s title, KCB, who lead the standings with 58 points, opened with a 22-5 victory over Kisumu RFC before beating KU Blak Blad 29-10.
Uganda Emerging 7s also impressed, defeating Blak Blad 27-14 and Kisumu 17-12 to secure their place in the quarter-finals.
Menengai Oilers dominated Pool C, remaining unbeaten after recording victories including a 14-7 win over Nakuru and a commanding 31-5 victory against Daystar Falcons. Daystar had earlier defeated invitational side Kilifi 19-10.
Another major storyline came from Pool D, where newly promoted NYS Spades reached the Main Cup quarter-finals for the first time. The Division Two champions at Kabeberi edged MMUST 7-5, while Strathmore Leos defeated Mwamba 26-5.
By the close of the pool stages, the quarter-final line-up had taken shape, with KCB, Kabras, Menengai Oilers, Uganda Emerging 7s, NYS Spades and other leading sides advancing to Sunday’s knockout matches.
KCB enter the knockout stage as the series leaders, while Kabras remain their closest challengers after winning the Dala 7s. With the Embu 7s coming up on September 5-6 and the season-ending Christie 7s scheduled for September 12-13 in Nairobi, every point in Mombasa could prove decisive in the championship race.
Away from the action on the pitch, fans are also enjoying the popular Tusker Na Rugby entertainment package, with Bensoul headlining Saturday night’s after-party and Charisma scheduled to perform on Sunday.
Backed by SportPesa for the fourth consecutive year, the National Sevens Circuit has also received increased sponsorship this season, alongside a boost in prize money.
With the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final set for Sunday, the Driftwood 7s title remains up for grabs. The return of Uganda Emerging, the impressive rise of NYS Spades and the intense battle for circuit points have all set the stage for a dramatic finish.
