Collins Injera

Collins Injera (born 18 October 1986) is a former Kenyan rugby player. He holds the second place for number of tries scored on the World Rugby Sevens Series with 271. He is known for his achievements with Kenyan national rugby sevens team.

Collins Injera
Date of birth (1986-10-18) 18 October 1986
Place of birthNairobi, Kenya
Height186 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight96 kg (212 lb)
SchoolVihiga High School
UniversityDaystar University
Notable relative(s)Humphrey Kayange (brother)
Michael Agevi (brother)
Rugby union career
Position(s) Utility Back
Senior career
Years Team Apps (Points)
Mwamba Rugby Club (0)
International career
Years Team Apps (Points)
2014–2018 Kenya 6 (0)
National sevens team(s)
Years Team Comps
2006–2022 Kenya 424 (1443 pts)
Official website
https://instagram.com/cinjera

Career

Injera started playing rugby while at Vihiga High School in Vihiga. After graduation in 2005 he joined military team Ulinzi RFC playing in the Kenya Cup league. The team was later disbanded, and he moved to Mwamba RFC, a Nairobi-based team where he plays as a wing.[1][2]

Now a strong player for the Kenyan Sevens squad, Injera debuted with the team at the 2006 Dubai Sevens[3] and played in the 2009 Rugby World Cup Sevens,[4] where Kenya reached the semifinals. He became the top try scorer for 2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series season with 42 tries.[5] He also scored 210 points and finished second behind Ben Gollings of England in the individual points table.[6]

Injera has also played for the Kenya national rugby union team (15s) at his usual position left wing (number 11), playing at the 2011 World Cup Qualifiers.[7]

In February 2013, Injera was dropped from the Kenya national sevens team and his contract was cancelled by the head coach Mike Friday. This was because of a conflict between Injera's club Mwamba RFC and the Kenya national sevens team. This conflict led to Injera missing training sessions with the Kenya national sevens team and therefore breaching his contract. As a consequence of this breach, Injera's contract was cancelled.[8]

In 2022, He was recalled into the Kenyan squad for the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Cape Town.[9][10] He announced his retirement from rugby in January 2023.[11][12][13]

Awards

Injera was nominated for the 2008–09 IRB Sevens Player of the Year award,[14] which was eventually won by Ollie Phillips (rugby union) Injera won the Kenyan Sportsman of the Year award in 2009.[15] In 2010, Injera was awarded the presidential Order of Golden Warriors (OGW) alongside his brother Humphrey Kayange for their performance in the 2008–09 IRB Sevens World Series.[16] Collins Injera was named Player of the final in 2016 Singapore Sevens, after helped Kenya to win their first tournament in World Sevens Series.[17]

Personal life

Injera's older brother Humphrey Kayange is a former captain of the Kenyan sevens squad. Their younger brother Michael Agevi has also played rugby for the Sevens team in the past.[18]

Injera has a degree in mass communication from Kenya College for Communication Technology (KCCT).[1] He is an alumnus of Daystar University.[19]

References
  1. Daily Nation, Buzz Magazine, 16 January 2009: Top of the top
  2. Rugbyrugby.com, 3 March 2009: Mwamba's pride Archived 22 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Daily Nation, 15 January 2009: Injera aims to conquer all in IRB series
  4. RWC Sevens 2009: Kenya squad Archived 27 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  5. "Season Player Tries". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 9 April 2008. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  6. "Season Player Points". International Rugby Board. Archived from the original on 11 February 2010. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
  7. Heavensgame.com: KENYA BEAT CAMEROON IN RWC QUALIFIER
  8. Daily Nation, 28 February 2013:Sevens coach Friday says Injera’s contract still remains cancelled
  9. Collins, Amanga (2 September 2022). "Kenya Sevens squad for 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens". www.pd.co.ke. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  10. Njuguna, William (3 September 2022). "Injera recalled to Shujaa squad ahead of Rugby World Cup Sevens". The Star. Retrieved 17 September 2022.
  11. "Kenya legend Collins Injera calls time on illustrious playing career". www.world.rugby. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  12. Wachira, Lynne (24 January 2023). "Rugby sevens star Collins Injera retires". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  13. Kejitan, Vincent (24 January 2023). "Collins Injera retires from rugby". Standard Entertainment. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
  14. IRB, 29 May 2009: IRB names Sevens Player of the Year shortlist Archived 1 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  15. The Standard, 12 December 2009: Masai, the year’s best Archived 16 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  16. Daily Nation, 27 May 2010: Sevens stars decorated by state
  17. World Rugby, 17 April 2016: Collins Injera shines to win final award
  18. "Fresh faces for Kenya Sevens". International Rugby Board. 26 September 2011. Archived from the original on 22 December 2011. Retrieved 14 February 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  19. Komen, Jonathan (3 June 2018). "Rugby blood runs deep in their families: Family members that dot rugby scene". The Standard. Retrieved 21 August 2019.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.