Central Region girls’ rugby 7s champions Kinale Girls High School will settle for nothing less than the national gong.

Having played second fiddle to reigning national and East Africa champions St Joseph’s Girls High School Kitale, they are looking to avenge their losses at the hands of their Rift Valley compatriots and snatch the crown.

They will be among 16 girls’ teams that will be battling it out at the 2025 Term Two games that begin in Kakamega on Tuesday.

Kinale had a great season last year winning silver at both the national and East Africa games as the Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) added the girls’ competition to its events.

They sent an early warning to their opponents this year by thrashing Gituamba Secondary School 66-0 in the Central Region final.

Team coach Allan Bush said they are looking to perform better than they did last year.

“The team is still intact and they have been working very hard in preparations for this year’s challenge. The girls are ready and our approach is to focus on a game at a time with the aim of improving on last year’s performance,” he said.

He added that he expects the standards of the game to be higher than they were last year.

They, however, have to be at their best to overcome their opponents who are equally ready for the challenge. With St Joseph’s returning to defend their crown, Kinale have to be on top of their game.

They will also face stiff competition from home girls Madira, Mwira, Eregi and Kimobo who will all be out to ensure that the title remains in Western.

The girls’ rugby 7s contest will have familiar faces with Coast champions Paul Harris and Shimba Hills making their second attempt to win the trophy.

Nairobi’s Karen C, St Theresa’s from Eastern and Nyanza’s Nyagichenche are all hoping to finally get right.

Newcomers Itigo from Rift Valley, Mbagathi from Nairobi, Sigoti from Nyanza, Eastern’s Mbitini and Gituamba will be out to prove that they are no pushovers.