NAIROBI, Kenya, September 18, 2026 – Immediate former Shujaa superstar Brian Tanga expects to transition into coaching after hanging his boots in the rugby 7s.

The Kabras Sugar RFC player will remain active in the 15s during which time he will be taking baby steps into a life on the touchline.

“Most definitely I will get into coaching, but still I am playing 15s. I am still yet to identify (identity as a coach), but I think I am going towards that direction,” Tanga said.

Tanga called time on his career in the rugby 7s on Sunday, playing his final match in the sugar millers’ 5-0 loss to KCB Rugby in the third-place playoff of the Christie 7s at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi.

Before the match, the fleet-footed player was applauded as he stepped on the pitch for one last time as a rugby 7s player — a befitting end to a career that spans a decade, including appearances at close to 20 HSBC World Rugby Series competitions.

Tanga noted that time had come for him to pave way for a younger crop of players to assume the mantle, both at the national and club level.

He was also appreciative of his declining physicality.

“You just listen to your body and decide now this is the time. Let the other guys also play and enjoy,” he said.

Looking back at the journey, Tanga says he could be nothing more than thankful for the opportunity to step on the pitch and do what he loves most.

“We have won trophies, we have lost some, but we still thank God.We have won trophies, we have lost some, but we still thank God. I think I have learned a lot of lessons. First, being resilient,” he said.

As he drifts away to the touchline, Tanga’s heart is fulfilled in the knowledge that the sugar millers’ future is secure in the hands of a crop of youngsters who have emerged in this season’s National Sevens Circuit (NSC).

Jackson Siketi, Adrian Kwesa and Rayvon Ambale are among youngsters that Tanga has bet on to steer the country into a new territory of dominance as far as the rugby 7s is concerned.

His parting shot to the new generation: ‘remain disciplined and trust in God.’

“For the last 13 years, I think you just have to be disciplined and train hard and believe in God. Never give up and always trust in God. These trophies will just come,” Tanga said.