The Kabras Sugar RFC juggernaut continues to roll over the Kenya Cup landscape with the remorseless efficiency of a combine harvester. Their latest victim, Kisumu RFC, was dispatched with a clinical ease that suggests the title race is effectively a procession.

While the scoreline confirmed Kabras' dominance, the subplot of the weekend belonged to Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST). The students, flirting with relegation, pulled off a gritty 25-13 victory over Kisumu, a result that breathes life into their survival campaign and condemns Kisumu to a nervous scrutiny of the league table.

The Kakamega Fortress

Kabras have turned the Kakamega Showground into a graveyard for visiting ambitions. Their unbeaten run is built on a forward pack that is arguably the most drilled unit in East Africa. Against Kisumu, they didn't just win possession; they monopolized the collision area, starving their opponents of the ball and the will to fight.

"We are not looking at the table," Kabras coach Carlos Katywa stated, a diplomatic lie in a season where they are points clear at the top. "Every game is a final." But for the rest of the league, playing Kabras feels less like a final and more like a sentencing.

• MMUST's Great Escape: The university side's victory was built on desperation. Facing the drop, they abandoned their usual expansive game for a pragmatic, territory-based approach. It wasn't pretty, but in a relegation dogfight, aesthetics are a luxury.
• Kisumu's Collapse: For Kisumu RFC, the loss to MMUST is catastrophic. They are now sucked into the relegation vortex, with their defensive frailties exposed. Their inability to close out tight games is becoming a defining, and fatal, characteristic of their season.
• The Title Picture: KCB RFC remains the only credible threat to Kabras, but even the Bankers look underpowered compared to the Sugar Men. The league is rapidly bifurcating into Kabras and "the rest."

Rugby's Widening Gap

The weekend's results highlight the widening financial and technical chasm in Kenyan rugby. Corporate-backed teams like Kabras operate in a different stratosphere to the community and university clubs. Unless this inequality is addressed, the Kenya Cup risks becoming a predictable monologue rather than a competitive dialogue.

For now, however, the Sugar Men are dancing. The rest of the league is just trying to keep the music playing.