Captain Amonde retires from international rugby : The standard Sports

National Sevens Team captain Andrew Amonde has retired from international rugby but will continue to serve his club KCB.

Amonde, whose last assignment with the National Sevens Team, popularly referred to as ‘The Shujaa’ was in the United Arab Emirates during the HSBC World Sevens Championships in Dubai Sevens last month.

However, Amonde, who features for the Kenya Cup League champions KCB in the local scene said he’ll continue to offer his services for the bankers in the local circuit of the national championships.

These include the Kenya Cup League and National Sevens Circuit matches.

“In every journey that has a start must come to a stop and my turning point is to pave way for the younger generation to join the queue. That is exactly what I have done,” he told Standard Sports.

Amonde who has served the National Sevens Team – The Shujaa and the National Fifteens Team – The Simbas for a total of 15 years said he was leaving the national sides with his head high after a successful stay at the global level that saw him lead Shujaa to win their first-ever triumph in Singapore Sevens under the tutelage of the then national head coach the late Benjamin Ayimba in 2015.

That year (2015), Kenya finished seventh with 98 points behind the series winners Fiji 181, South Africa 171, New Zealand 158, Australia 134, Argentina 119 and United States of America 117.

Kenya beat Fiji 30-7 in the finals to lift their first-ever Cup title.

During then, Collins Injera was named HSBC Player of the final after he scored twice in the finals as his side blew the series leaders Fiji away with 20 unanswered first-half points.

During his stay at the two national sides, Amonde, 38, scored a total of 86 tries for Shujaa and a total of 18 tries for The Simbas.

Asked about his next stop after leaving the international scene, he said “My transition will be gradual as I intend to train as a coach in the national scene and possibly towards the global scene”.

Among the coaches who shaped his rugby career, Amonde is full of praise for the former national coaches the late Ayimba (Benjamin) and Mike Friday.

“Although each coach I have gone through his hands played shaped my rugby career, I must commend Ayimba (Benjamin) and Friday (Mike) as some of the best coaches who ensured I become a utility player in the national and international scene,” said Amonde who also admires Kenya’s all-time top try scorer at the international level in Collins Injera as a national teammate.

“Injera is one of the players any international rugby player would like to play along with owing to his skilful and speedy runs. He’s also inspiring in the pitch.” 

On his memorable moments in his international career, Amonde talked of their time at the Singapore Sevens and at the 2018 Rio Olympics.

”These are two key events that are memorable in my life as a player that will be vivid in my mind for many years to come,” said Amonde who is one of the longest-serving internationals in Kenya’s rugby history.

As he shifts his focus to the club activities, the international fly-half admires his club coach Curtis Olago at the bankers’ den as one of the coaches who has churned out many international youngsters.

“He’s a loving down to earth coach who knows what’s good for any player at any time,” he said.