Rugby is the game and Injera man of moment
With a springy bounce, Collins Injera, the new International Rugby Board Sevens World Series top try scorer barely attracts any attention off the pitch.
This changes immediately he steps on the rugby pitch. Injera who scored 42 tries in the just concluded 2008/09 IRB Sevens World Series Season is a delight to watch.
Every coach on the opposite end has a plan for the Mwamba RFC winger but every time, the coaches have had to go back to the drawing boards to plot new ways of trying to stop this try scoring machine.
Injera definitely had the qualities to be named as the IRB Sevens Player of the Year when the eight-leg tournament ended in Edinburgh, Scotland on Sunday. He had the most number of tries, attacked and defended relentlessly as well as being a good distributor.
Well, IRB had their eyes set elsewhere and handed the coveted trophy to England’s Ollie Phillips! How this happened is still a mystery especially after the national seven-a-side rugby team defied all odds to beat hosts Scotland, England and Canada on the opening day.
Back at home, Injera is the man of the moment. He is on the lips of every sports fan even those who barely follow rugby. Injera is one of two players whose portraits are displayed on a city matatu (public service vehicle), a sign of wide acceptance.
It is strange that a player who picked up the rugby ball by chance in Form One at Vihiga High School has become the darling of many. With 42 tries and a total of 210 points for the season, Injera was up there with the rest.
Edgar Abere, a former captain at Vihiga High School remembers Injera’s induction into the ‘Oval World’ as if it happened yesterday.
“He likes to try new things,” he says. But, the most memorable thing is that Injera was out watching a school rugby match when one of the backs got injured. Abere immediately called Injera for replacement. Pleas of not having any kit fell on deaf ears.
The players formed a shield as Injera was given a change of kit and fielded at centre. “He did well and the rest is history,” says Abere who now plays alongside the famous winger at Mwamba. They joined the defunct Ulinzi RFC and moved to Mwamba when the military side was disbanded.
Fast forward and at the beginning of the 2008/09 IRB Sevens World Series, Injera had set his eyes on finishing among the top three try-scorers. He scored seven tries in the opening tournament in Dubai, an early warning that this try-scoring machine was destined for bigger things.
The seven tries in Dubai raised his profile as he was in every coach’s plans whenever other teams faced Kenya. Whenever he picked the ball, Injera was immediately swamped by three opponents which played into the hands of Shujaa, as the team is affectionately referred. It meant that other players could now move into space and score.
In one tournament in George, South Africa, the winger paid the price as he was rarely given any sniff of the try line. But things changed in the next four tournaments as he re-established himself as the man to beat.
On the eve of the last two tournaments, Injera led with 30 tries with only Australia’s Luke Morahan on 27 as his nearest rival. The Mwamba winger made another bold statement that he targeted 10 tries in the remaining two legs in London and Edinburgh.
True to his word, Injera scored five tries in London and seven in Edinburgh for a total of 42. The absence of Morahan meant it was a race against himself. Already, there were indications that Injera was destined to pick an equivalent of a golden boot in soccer.
Coach Benjamin Ayimba predicted that Kenya would be in line for some awards and mentioned Injera, Lavin Asego, Innocent Simiyu and Humphrey Kayange as the contenders.
Indeed, when the IRB announced a short list for the IRB Sevens Player Of the Year on the eve of the Edinburgh Sevens, Injera and his elder brother Humphrey Kayange were on the short list of six which had two South Africans, (Mpho Mbiyozo and Renfred Dazel) a Fijian (Emosi Vucago) and Englishman (Ollie Phillips).
They remained modest about the historic feat which came 10 years after Kenya first played in Dubai. Injera said being nominated was already a big honour and having his brother in the same list was a bonus. “We owe it to the team,” he said.
Coach Ayimba regards Injera as an all-round player. Besides the wing Injera has been roving between centre, wing, scrum-half and sweeper for Kenya.
