After the topping the points charts at the Christie Sevens, Nondescripts RFC’s Fidens Tony is looking to inspire his team to the quarterfinals and semis of the remaining two legs of the National Sevens Circuit (NSC) in Eldoret and Nairobi respectively.
Tony said the team are inspired by the feat of their fellow unfancied rivals, Nakuru RFC, who went all the way to the semifinal of the last leg of the circuit at the Christie Sevens, a fortnight ago at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi.
“As a club we look forward to making the quarters and the semis. We saw that Nakuru made it to the semis and it is so great to see them go that far and we want to achieve the same,” he said.
Tony has been one of Nondies’ standout players in this year’s edition of the 23-year-old competition, leading the scoring charts at the Christie Sevens to land the coveted award alongside Kenya Commercial Bank’s (KCB) Michael Wanyika.
Reflecting on his latest accolade, Tony was quick to note that his teammates have played a crucial role in his development on and off the pitch.
“To be honest, I don’t usually go for individual accolades that much…I am actually focused on team effort but it is actually a very good encouragement…to my mates who look up to me…although I am young. It makes me happy…yeah,” he explained.
With Nondies having celebrated their 100th birthday last month, Tony is only too happy to wear the badge of Kenya’s oldest rugby club with pride.
“It is a very big honour to play for such a prestigious club. You learn so much from different cultures…from all people…it is very good to be somewhere you can see the beauty of rugby through the years. From 1923 to this year…amazing things,” Tony said.
It has also been a learning experience for Tony who posits that many sports institutions across the country can learn a lot from the 17-time Kenya Cup champions.
“One thing I have learnt is to always play for the badge. Anything can change…you can lose all your players and the management but the club will always remain. That’s why Nondies have survived for the past 100 years. No matter what adversity we face we always work hard to win the next game…to help each other grow as a club and as individuals,” he said.
At this weekend’s Tisap Sevens, Nondies will square off against arch-rivals Mwamba RFC, Nakuru RFC and the University of Eldoret Trojans.
At a personal level, Tony is part of the national 7s team, Shujaa, squad for the upcoming Africa Rugby 7s in Harare, Zimbabwe and the Olympics qualifiers for Paris 2024.
