World Rugby has revealed that six legends in rugby, Osea Kolinisau (Fiji), Humphrey Kayange (Kenya), Huriana Manuel-Carpenter (New Zealand), Cheryl McAfee (Australia), Will Carling (England) and Jim Telfer (Scotland) will be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2021.
They say, when it rains, it surely does pour, in Kayange’s world it must be overflooding. He is among the six inductees of the year 2021.
The World Rugby’s Hall of fame which is presented by Tudor, recognizes athletes who’ve been formidable and exceptional in the rugby world and throughout careers. The Rugby community prides itself in character-building values; of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect and Kenyans’ couldn’t be more excited to see Humphrey Kayange up that list!
But who is this man, Humphrey? Some may say, a Master graduate in Chemistry while others vividly remember Kayange, helping the Shujaa reach two Rugby World Cup Sevens semi-finals, in 2009. In the the same year he booked a nomination nominated for World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year and booked a second slot in 2013.
The former skipper of the national Seven’s Team participated at two Commonwealth Games, in 2010 and 2014, and was a member of the team that won Kenya’s first-ever World Series Cup title in Singapore in 2016. He finished his career on the World Series as Kenya’s third highest points scorer in sevens, with 799 points and 159 tries, while in 15s he scored four tries in 12 tests as a hard-running centre.
In In 2010 Kayange was awarded the presidential Order of Golden Warriors (OGW) beside his brother Collins Injera, for their performance in the 2008/2009 IRB world series.
Okay, OGW, World-cup Semi-finalist, Commonwealth, the organic chemist went on to represent Kenya In the Rio Olympics Games, 2016, Where the king saw fit to bow out.
Despite Shujaas not getting a medal in the Rio Olympics, Humphrey Kayange was a member of the World Rugby bid team that convinced the International Olympic Committee members to elect rugby sevens to the Olympic programme in October 2009.
This year has seen the 37-year-old elected to the IOC Athletes’ Commission for a four-year term and as an IOC Member. The Sports Cabinet Secretary also appointed him to the Board of the Kenya Academy of Sports Council. He also sits in the Olympics Kenya Executive Committee as an Athlete’s representative, having represented Kenya as a player for nearly two decades.
The six inductees excel within two themes selected by the Hall of Fame panel for 2021: rugby sevens and the Olympic Games in a big Olympic year and the 150th anniversary of the first international match between Scotland and England in March 1871.
