Nairobi — Collins Injera is one of the most decorated players in World Rugby; He has not only won locally with his club Mwamba, but has played at numerous Sevens World Cups, played at two Olympic Games and on top of all was once the overall top try scorer in Sevens Series history.
And now, Papa Locole as his peers refer to him, wants to complete what would be a perfect career, by playing a role for the Kenya Simbas in their quest to qualify for the 15s Rugby World Cup for the first time ever.
"Fifteens is where I started my game and as a matter of fact, that is where I got my first ever national team call up before Sevens got the better of me. So this is pretty special, having the chance to qualify for the 15s Rugby World Cup," Injera told Capital Sport.
He added; "Having played Sevens for most of my career this is where I wanted to play in the final years of my career and being handed this opportunity is pretty massive."
He also notes; "For the young guys coming up I think it can be a motivation that perseverance and hard work pays."
Prior to being included in coach Paul Odera's disciplined set up for the new crop of the Simbas, Injera's last involvement with the 15s side was in 2018 during the repechage tournament.
He was also part of the 2014 team that came inches close to achieving this World Cup dream, but a last day loss to Zimbabwe killed the dream.
The memories of what transpired in 2014 are still fresh in his memories and he does not want a repeat of the same mistakes to drop the pot at the doorstep.
"One lesson we picked from that time is never count your chicks before they hatch. We have to take a game at a time. We had put all our focus on the game against Namibia and after that everyone relaxed. It was a scenario that none of us had faced. We had created a big chance for ourselves but we didn't handle it well. We have five guys from that team here and we have spoken about it; we can't run away from it," Injera says.
The team has had better preparations this time round, including an 11-week training camp in South Africa that Injera says has improved the team massively and they are now eager to put what they have worked for into practice when they start off the qualifiers in France.
Injera says; "If you look at the team now, it is different from when we left. The guys got more exposure and now they are also looking bigger and fitter and the rugby brain has also improved. Those preps in South Africa and if you also look at the two games we played here, it tells you the guys are psyched, eager to go and the confidence is high as well."
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"We just need to handle our emotions well and remain cool heads then we will be able to execute."
The Simbas begin their quest for a place in the Rugby World Cup with a quarter final bout against neighbors Uganda on Saturday evening, a match that everyone expects to be tricky.
Injera also affirms that it will not be an easy outing but believes the boys will handle it well.
"Everyone is eager for that first match. Definitely abit of pressure but we have managed it well with the mental sessions that we have had in training. Against Uganda it will be tough especially because it is a derby game. We have to go there and stick to our structures and just play," he noted.
Meanwhile, the World Rugby legend says Kenya qualifying for the Rugby World Cup will be a huge achievement and will open more doors for the growth of the longer version of the game in the country.
"It is pretty massive because the 15s game in Kenya is not as huge as the Sevens but having an opportunity to qualify will be important for us. Once we do the job it will open more opportunities for the young boys coming up and also for the game in Kenya to grow," Injera noted.
