Homeboyz RFC
Homeboyz Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club based in Nairobi, Kenya, that competes in the Kenya Cup, Eric Shirley Shield, Enterprise Cup and Mwamba Cup. Formed in 2009, Homeboyz also has a women's team that competes in the Kenya Rugby Football Union women's league every year. Both the men's and women's teams also compete in the Kenya National Sevens Circuit that happens annually. Their main home ground is Jamhuri Park.
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| Full name | Homeboyz Rugby Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Union | Kenya Rugby Football Union | ||
| Nickname(s) | HBR, The Boyz Are In Town, The Girlz Are In Town | ||
| Founded | 2009 | ||
| Location | Nairobi, Kenya | ||
| Ground(s) | Jamhuri Park, Homeboyz Rugby Stadium (Capacity: 10,000) | ||
| Chairman |  Myke Rabar | ||
| Coach(es) | Simon Odongo | ||
| Captain(s) | Roy Wesonga Zeden Marrow | ||
| League(s) | Kenya Cup, Eric Shirley Shield | ||
| 2020 | Kenya Cup 3rd (overall) (season abandoned) Eric Shirley Shield 4th (overall) (season abandoned) | ||
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| Official website | |||
| www | |||
History
Foundation and early years
Homeboyz was officially founded in 2009. This was a result of the perceived need in the market to accommodate the younger players who felt that they were not being given enough opportunities to play competitive rugby. As a start-up team in 2009, Homeboyz RFC was initially placed in the lower-tier Eric Shirley Shield. After winning the Eric Shirley Shield two seasons in a row, they earned their promotion to Kenya Cup.[1]
The women's team was formed in 2016 after Homeboyz decided to give women a platform to showcase their talent. The women's game is still relatively young but has made great strides in the past years. The team has been consistent in the Kenya Rugby Football Union women's league and produced five women who represented the country in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Against Uganda Select
Homeboyz first toured Uganda in 2018 having won the Enterprise Cup to face a Ugandan Select side as an initiative to promote rugby in the region.[2] They won the match 18 - 10 with Bush Mwale and Roy Wesonga scoring a try each and Kelvin Masai kicking over two penalties and a conversion.
Dubai 7s
Homeboyz first toured Dubai in 2010 to play in the Dubai 7's Men's Invitational Tournament.[3] This was after taking part in three of the five legs of the National Sevens Circuit and winning over many fans.
In 2018, Homeboyz won three legs of the National Sevens Circuit which saw them crowned 7's champions that season. This was rewarded by a trip to the Dubai 7's Men's Invitational Tournament once again where the side narrowly lost to the Emerging Boks.[4]
Club success (2009–2019)
In 2009, Homeboyz had a stint in the National Sevens Circuit playing in three of the five tournaments of the circuit. Homeboyz RFC played the Prinsloo Sevens (Nakuru), Driftwoods Sevens (Mombasa) and in the Kabeberi Sevens (Nairobi) where they won their first trophy in the shield category.
In 2010, Homeboyz Rugby participated in their first 15's fixture playing in the Eric Shirley Shield, which they won in their inaugural year. Homeboyz were crowned champions after a win against Kisumu RFC at the University of Nairobi grounds.[1] They were not promoted to play in the Kenya Cup due to some technicalities.
In 2011, the team went ahead and defended the Eric Shirley Shield trophy to secure a chance to play in the highest league in the country, Kenya Cup. The same year also saw Homeboyz win the Mwamba Cup.[5]
In 2013, Homeboyz Rugby finished 4th in the National Sevens Circuit winning their first sevens main cup trophy, the Kabeberi 7s.[6]
In 2014, Homeboyz missed the Kenya Cup playoff place by a single point. That same year they bagged their second sevens main cup trophy by lifting the Driftwood 7's and finishing second overall in the National Sevens Circuit.[7]
In the 2015 Enterprise Cup, the team reaches its first senior final in the Enterprise Cup losing 28 - 0 to KCB.[8]
In 2016, Homeboyz Rugby won the overall National Sevens Circuit, setting a record for playing in all the finals in a six leg format and winning three of them, Prinsloo 7's, Dala 7's and Nanyuki 7's.[9][10][11][12]
In 2017, Homeboyz Rugby, finished third overall in the National Sevens Circuit having won the Driftwood 7's and Dala 7's in the process.[13][14] That same year saw them reach the Kenya Cup semi final for the first time after finishing the regular season in position one.[15]
In 2018, they won the Enterprise Cup, beating Impala Saracens 21 - 3 at the RFUEA Ground.[16] That same year saw Homeboyz reclaim the overall National Sevens Circuit, winning four, Prinsloo 7's, Sepetuka 7's, Kabeberi 7's and Christie 7's, of the six legs on offer.[17][18][19][20] They also had a decent run in the Kenya Cup, finishing second in the regular season before falling to Kabras 29 - 13 in the semi-final.
Current standings
Kenya Cup
| ||||||||||||||||
| Alpha | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TBP | PTS | |||||||
| 1 | Kabras |
16 | 15 | 0 | 1 | 677 | 132 | +545 | 14 | 74 | ||||||
| 2 | KCB |
16 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 573 | 213 | +360 | 14 | 71 | ||||||
| 3 | Homeboyz |
16 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 524 | 232 | +292 | 12 | 66 | ||||||
| 4 | Impala |
16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 406 | 307 | +99 | 12 | 48 | ||||||
| 5 | Mwamba |
16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 389 | 391 | -2 | 7 | 43 | ||||||
| 6 | Menengai Oilers |
16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 412 | 382 | +30 | 9 | 41 | ||||||
| 7 | Nakuru |
16 | 8 | 0 | 8 | 323 | 393 | -70 | 6 | 38 | ||||||
| 8 | Blak Blad |
16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 326 | 453 | -127 | 8 | 28 | ||||||
| 9 | Harlequin |
16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 283 | 414 | -131 | 7 | 27 | ||||||
| 10 | Nondescripts |
16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 316 | 444 | -128 | 6 | 26 | ||||||
| 11 | Western Bulls |
16 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 188 | 509 | -321 | -1 | 11 | ||||||
| 12 | Kisumu |
16 | 1 | 0 | 15 | 173 | 738 | -565 | -2 | 2 | ||||||
Eric Shirley Shield
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| Bravo | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | PD | TBP | PTS | |||||||
| 1 | KCB |
16 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 638 | 163 | +475 | 14 | 72 | ||||||
| 2 | Kabras |
16 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 576 | 103 | +473 | 14 | 72 | ||||||
| 3 | Menengai Oilers |
16 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 471 | 259 | +212 | 13 | 65 | ||||||
| 4 | Homeboyz |
16 | 11 | 1 | 4 | 390 | 225 | +165 | 8 | 54 | ||||||
| 5 | Impala |
16 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 458 | 202 | +256 | 10 | 52 | ||||||
| 6 | Mwamba |
16 | 8 | 1 | 7 | 370 | 298 | +72 | 10 | 44 | ||||||
| 7 | Nakuru |
16 | 9 | 0 | 7 | 317 | 336 | -19 | 8 | 44 | ||||||
| 8 | Blak Blad |
16 | 5 | 0 | 11 | 186 | 572 | -386 | 4 | 24 | ||||||
| 9 | Harlequin |
16 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 232 | 407 | -175 | 4 | 22 | ||||||
| 10 | Nondescripts |
16 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 161 | 391 | -230 | 6 | 18 | ||||||
| 11 | Western Bulls |
16 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 102 | 403 | -301 | -13 | -5 | ||||||
| 12 | Kisumu |
16 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 58 | 600 | -542 | -5 | -5 | ||||||
2020 Enterprise Cup
| Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kabras RFC | 47 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Menengai Oilers | 19 | |||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kabras | 54 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Mwamba | 10 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Mwamba RFC | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Kisumu RFC | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Kabras | |||||||||||||||||||
| Homeboyz | |||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Harlequin | 13 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Homeboyz | 39 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Homeboyz | 33 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Nondescripts | 11 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Nondescripts | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Masinde Muliro | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Impala Saracens | 41 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Mean Machine | 22 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Impala Saracens | 39 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | Nakuru | 21 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Nakuru | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Mombasa | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| Impala Saracens | |||||||||||||||||||
| KCB | |||||||||||||||||||
| 13 | KCB | 27 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Strathmore | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | KCB | 43 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Blak Blad | 12 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | Blak Blad | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Western Bulls | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
2020 Mwamba Cup
| Round of 16 | Quarterfinals | Semifinals | Finals | ||||||||||||||||
| 1 | Kabras RFC | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Northern Suburbs | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 3 | Mwamba RFC | 48 | |||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Daystar Falcons | 24 | |||||||||||||||||
| 5 | Nakuru | 28 | |||||||||||||||||
| 6 | CUEA Monks | 0 | |||||||||||||||||
| 7 | Impala Saracens | 36 | |||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Swara | 16 | |||||||||||||||||
| 9 | Strathmore | 22 | |||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Nondescripts | 13 | |||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Harlequin | 13 | |||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Shamas Foundation | 18 | |||||||||||||||||
| 13 | Homeboyz | 17 | |||||||||||||||||
| 14 | Menengai Oilers | 27 | |||||||||||||||||
| 15 | KCB | 27 | |||||||||||||||||
| 16 | Strathmore | 3 | |||||||||||||||||
Colours and crest
The blue and yellow that are famous with the club is adopted from the club sponsor, Homeboyz Entertainment Limited. The current crest was remodeled in November 2015 and retained the Homeboyz logo and the blue and yellow colors.
The current kit is made by Samurai Sportswear. Homeboyz Entertainment was the primary kit sponsor from 2009 to 2015 with its brands H2O and HBR 103.5 FM featuring in front of their jersey. In the 2015/16 season, Menengai Cream took over as the primary kit sponsor featuring in front of the jersey until the 2018/19 season.[22]
Squad
Coaching and management staff
| Position | Name | Nationality |
|---|---|---|
| Backs and skills coach | Simon Odongo | Kenya |
| Forwards coach | Elisha Okello | Kenya |
| Strength & conditioning coach | Michael Mulugu | Kenya |
| Assistant team manager | Edward Wekesa | Kenya |
| Logistics manager | Spencer Githinji | Kenya |
| Lead physiotherapist | Samuel Ochieng | Kenya |
Current squad
| Homeboyz Rugby's current squad | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
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Back row
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Wingers
Fullbacks
|
| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes players who have represented the national Under 20, 7's or 15's team. |
Academy squad
| Homeboyz Rugby's Academy Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
|
Centres
Wingers
|
| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes players who have represented the national Under 20, 7's or 15's team |
Women's squad
| Homeboyz Rugby Women's Squad | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Props
Hookers
Locks
|
Back row
Scrum-halves
Fly-halves
|
Centres
Fullbacks
|
| (c) denotes the team captain, Bold denotes players who have represented the national Lionesses team either at 7's, 15's or both |
Coaches
Homeboyz were coached in their first season by Eric Situma, who was assisted by Paul Murunga. Situma was replaced by Murunga in 2011 who had several assistants that included Benjamin Ayimba, Bill Githinji, and former Homeboyz players Elisha Okello and Simon Odongo. Murunga continued as coach until he was appointed Kenya Sevens coach after the 2017 season. Simon Odongo took over the reins for the 2018 season and didn't have an assistant during that time. In 2019, Sharks Academy coach, Jason Hector, was announced as the Homeboyz head coach. Jason was assisted by Simon Odongo in the season that was canceled owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. Jason was appointed head coach of the Western Province Rugby Academy Claremont Campus for the 2021 season.
Current coaches
- Simon Odongo (Backs)
- Elisha Okello (Forwards)
Former coaches
| Coach | Season(s) |
|---|---|
| Eric Situma
| 2009/10 – 2010/11 |
| Paul Murunga
| 2011/12 - 2016/17 |
| Simon Odongo[23]
| 2017/18 – 2018/19 |
 Jason Hector[24]
| 2019/20 – 2020 |
Notable players
Olympians
The following Homeboyz players represented Kenya at the 2020 Summer Olympics:
The following Homeboyz players represented Kenya at the 2016 Summer Olympics:
Singapore Sevens winners
The following Homeboyz players were part of the team that won the 2016 Singapore Sevens:[25]
Rugby World Cup Sevens
The following Homeboyz players have represented Kenya at the Rugby World Cup Sevens:
- Michael Wanjala (2013)
- Oscar Ayodi (2018)
- Jeff Oluoch (2018)
Commonwealth Games
The following Homeboyz players have represented Kenya at the Commonwealth Games:
- Michael Wanjala (2014)
- Oscar Ayodi (2018)
- Jeff Oluoch (2018)
Youth Olympians
The following Homeboyz players were part of the Kenya Under 19 team that took part in the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics:[26]
- Brian Songoi
- Nelson Sangura
- Brian Gisemba
- John Ochar
- Keith Wasike
- Daniel Abuonji
- Lamech Kimutai
- Ian Omondi
Overseas players
Note: Flags indicate national union as has been defined under World Rugby eligibility rules.
Solomon Okia: 2014–2016- Eliphaz Emong: 2019–2020
References
- Ayodi, Ayumba (2010-04-20). "Dance to Homeboyz's top rugby beat - Rugby | Daily Nation". Nation.co.ke. Retrieved 2015-08-01.
- Kawowo Sports (2018-06-12), https://kawowo.com/2018/06/12/pirates-to-host-kenyan-side-homeboyz-in-friendly-at-legends/ Pirates to host Kenyan side Homeboyz in friendly at Legends
- Sports News Arena (2010-12-02), http://sportsnewsarena.com/dubai-7s-homeboyz-to-face-british-army-watembezi-vets-lose-openers/ Dubai 7s: Homeboyz to face British Army
- Raga House (2018-11-23), http://ragahouse.com/news/item/introducing-homeboyz-samurai-for-dubai-7s/ Introducing Homeboyz Samurai for Dubai 7s
- Sports News Arena (2011-05-19), http://sportsnewsarena.com/murunga-double-wins-mwamba-cup-for-homeboyz/ Murunga Double Wins Mwamba Cup For Homeboyz
- Kwambo, Michael. "Homeboyz win the Kabeberi Sevens". Michezo Afrika.
- Odd Shaped Balls Kenya. "Djs Mute Lions Roar In Mombasa". ODD SHAPED BALLS KENYA. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- Box Score. "KCB win the Kenya Rugby's Enterprise Cup". Box Score.
- Ahenda, Ben (2016-08-09). "Homeboyz claim first gong of national Sevens Series". Standard Newspaper.
- NTV (2016-09-04). "Dala 7's: Homeboys win 48-5 to dance past Quins in Kisumu". NTV Sports.
- Njeru, Kenerickson (2016-09-12). "Victory for Homeboyz Rugby in Nanyuki". Citizen Digital.
- Olobulu, Timothy (2016-09-17). "Homeboyz Clinch Maiden Sevens Series Title". Capital Sports.
- Olobulu, Timothy (2017-09-03). "Homeboyz Down Nakuru To Win Driftwood Title". Capital Sports.
- Gatuha, Dennis (2017-10-22). "Homeboyz defend Dala 7s". Raga House.
- Kenya Cup. "Will It Be Homeboyz Or Kabras For The Kenya Cup Final?". Kenya Cup.
- Njiru, Eric. "Homeboyz win Enterprise cup". Raga House.
- MUREITHI, FRANCIS (2018-07-22). "Homeboyz outlast Mwamba to lift Prinsloo Sevens". Daily Nation.
- Ayodi, Ayumba (2018-08-19). "Who will stop Homeboyz? Deejays win Kabeberi 7s". Daily Nation.
- Capital Sport (2018-07-29). "Homeboyz Crack Mwamba To Lift Sepetuka 7s". Capital Sport.
- Msalame, Brian. "Homeboyz win Christie 7s". Raga House.
- "Kenya Cup 2019/2020 Standings". Kenya Cup.
- Ochieng, Erick (2015-07-29). "Homeboyz RFC get Sh10m boost ahead of season kick-off". Game Yetu.
- Njuguna, William (2018-11-09). "Odongo is new Homeboyz' head coach". The Star Newspaper.
- Ayodi, Ayumba. "Jason Hector is the new Homeboyz Rugby head coach". Daily Nation.
- "Kenya 7s Writes History After Stunning Fiji To Lift First Ever Cup Title". Capital Sport.
- "Chipu Make Olympics Debut". Odd Shaped Balls.