Vincent Onyala was handed his Kenya Sevens debut by Paul Murunga Amunavi at the 2018 Cape Town Sevens. He went on to become Shujaa’s top try scorer during the 2018/19 World Rugby Sevens season with 22 tries.
With the 2019/20 season concluded early due to the COVID19 pandemic that has disrupted sport globally, it was Onyala once again top of Shujaa’s tries, having made a total of 13 touchdowns.
Commenting on his exploits, Onyala says, “Getting to be the team’s top try scorer two seasons in a row is something I am proud of and one that pushes me to keep working hard. Working away from my comfort zone is something I set out to achieve each day and when you step into the pitch, knowing you’re representing your country, you just have to give each match your best.”
And he puts in the extra shift. ” Buffa (Alvin Otieno) and I have had one on one sessions regularly, we agree on how to support each other on the pitch and if there are any hitches, we work around them so that we reap the best results. At the end of the day, I always want to enjoy myself and the best way to do so, is when I express myself fully with the ball in hand and when I’m running in support of my teammates.”
Team Captain Andrew Noel Amonde believes Onyala is destined for better things, saying, ” Onyala has a brilliant mind and with that, his understanding of the game is spectacular. That’s why he is always at the right place when we’re attacking and knows what to do when defending. He has been the perfect utility player for Shujaa, he executes his roles as a forward or back greatly. He will definitely get better with time seeing as this 2019/2020 season was only his second on the World Sevens Series. We still have a lot more that we need to achieve as a national team and I hope to see him continue reaching many more milestones.”
