After a 10-year hiatus, former national boys’ rugby 15s champions Bungoma High are yearning to reclaim lost glory.

The 2016 national winners will be seeking to ascend the throne left by Western Region compatriots Vihiga High at this year’s Brookside National Term One games that begin on Tuesday in Kisumu.

Having not played on the big stage for a decade, Bungoma High coach Titus Wangila says that they must come out strong and announce their return.

“We must come out strong because we expect a tough challenge at the nationals. A lot has changed and 10 years is also a very long time so Kenyans may have forgotten us,” Wangila said.

He added that their qualification is a result of many years of hard work and they are now finalising preparations in readiness for their long-awaited return.

“Making it to the nationals is not easy especially in our region because we have very strong teams. We intensified our preparation after qualifying and we are now finalising and I believe that we are ready for the challenge.”

In a tough regional final, Bungoma High egded out former national and East Africa champions Kakamega High 12-7 to book their place at the nationals.

They will also be chasing a ticket to this year’s East Africa school games set for August in Morogoro, Tanzania.

They will begin their campaign in a tough Group B which has reigning East Africa champions Kisii School, Rift Valley’s Menengai High who also return to the national stage after years in the cold and 2010 holders Mang’u High School from Central.

“Our pool is very tough and so our strategy is to play every match as a final. Our first aim is to reach the semi-finals which requires more effort especially when tackling strong opponents,” Wangila noted.

If they achieve their first goal and reach the knockouts, they will play top two finishers in Group A in the semis. The pool has Nyanza champions St Mary’s Yala, Kwale High from Coast and former national and East Africa winners Upper Hill from Nairobi and All Saints Embu from Eastern. [Elizabeth Mburugu]