Though recovering from knee surgery currently, Ayodi takes the armband from long-serving skipper Andrew Amonde, who has told management that this will be his last season with the side.
Amonde has been Kenya’s captain since 2012 and skippered the team to the 2016 Rio Olympics as well as the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2013 in Russia and the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland.
Since making his debut in 2010, Amonde has played 267 matches, scoring 220 points from 44 tries. He has been sent to the bin 11 times and has never received a red card.
In 2016/2017 season, Amonde played 55 matches and scored 50 points.
The management have opted to retain the services of Amonde for the season as they groom Ayodi and Oscar Ouma for captaincy roles this season and in the seasons to come. Ouma will skipper the squad to the Sydney and Hamilton tournaments slated for the next two weekends.
Ayodi said he is more than ready to step into the role of skipper for the duration of the season. He captained the team in Dubai and Cape Town. “It’s great opportunity. I have experienced veterans like Oscar Ouma and Collins Injera in the side and they will be able to mentor some of the young players in the squad and ensure that we meet our targets for the season,” he added.
Ayodi will miss the Sydney and Hamilton legs as well as the Las Vegas and Vancouver in March but should be fit for Hong Kong and Commonwealth Games in April in Gold Coast. “I’m recovering from the surgery but I should be fit by April and ready to play at the Commonwealth Games and World Cup in July in San Fransisco, USA,” he noted.
Team manager, Eric Ogweno said the team arrived in Sydney on Sunday night and will use the three days to finalise their preparations for the their tournament opener against Argentina. “The boys have settled in well and adapted well to the conditions. We have recovery session and we may play matches but I will confirm,” noted Ogweno.
Kenya play Argentina on Friday before facing France and Wales on Saturday. The top two teams will advance to the main cup quarterfinals. Management has set a target of 10 points for each leg and Ogweno is confident they will deliver this weekend in Australia.
-The Star|William Njuguna