Standoff as senior players refute KRU claims of rejoining Kenya sevens team

NAIROBI, March 19 (Xinhua) -- Hopes of Senior players returning to the Kenya rugby sevens Team have fizzled out, even as the country faces imminent relegation from being a core Team in the World Series from next season.

Head coach Paul Murunga was hopeful a deal had been reached which would see several Senior players return from their self-imposed exile ahead of the Hong Kong Sevens, which will be held from April 5 to 7.

"The boys are welcome in the Team. They will be given an equal opportunity to train and have a chance to be selected to play in the remaining legs. We still retain all the players that have been training and playing in the last six legs of the 2018/2019 season," Murunga said on Tuesday in Nairobi.

However, Senior players dismissed the report which suggested that an agreement had been reached with the Kenya Rugby Union which would see them return to training.

"The players will only resume training once they agree with the terms of a letter they are supposed to collect at the KRU on Tuesday," a letter by the players said.

Senior players have remained away from the World Series this season amid a contract dispute that emerged after Kenya lost several sponsors.

This left head coach Murunga with few options but to name a relatively young Team for the previous rounds in Dubai, Cape Town, Sydney, Hamilton, Las Vegas and Vancouver.

Kenya sit four points off the relegation zone in 14th place, above Japan and Chile. In the last round in Vancouver, Kenya failed to win any matches.

KRU CEO Sylvia Kamau said the Union is glad both parties have come to an agreement with four legs left in the 2018/2019 World Sevens Series season.

The Team resumes training on Tuesday and the final squad will travel on March 31 for the Hong Kong Sevens where they sit in Pool C alongside New Zealand, Australia and Olympic champions Fiji.

Next season's World Series assumes extra importance as it will be used as the first qualifying tournament for the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.

Core men's and women's Teams will prepare to compete not only in the World Series but also at the Olympic Games, which takes place from July 27 to August 1.

With the newly-expanded women's series, qualified Teams will be of higher quality and have more competitive playing opportunities than ever before as they prepare to participate in Tokyo.