Kenya Simbas face Namibia in a build-up match in June ahead of the Africa Cup Rugby tournament set for a month later.
Both sides will be using the match to test preparations for the Africa Cup which will also feature Uganda, Zimbabwe Algeria and Tunisia.
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) director of 15s rugby, Moses Mukabane, said the match against Namibia will be a solid test for Jerome Paarwater’s charges.
“Namibia have been a dominant team for the past 20 years. We have always given them a competitive match and the upcoming one will be no different. I think the team selected will put up a good show and get in good shape for the continental tournament,” observed Mukabane.
The last time Kenya played Namibia was during the Africa Cup final-cum -Rugby World Cup qualifier in France, where Kenyans lost 36-0 allowing the Southern Africans to seal the automatic ticket to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
Overall, Kenya and Namibia have met 12 times since 1993 with the Namibia winning 11 times to Kenya’s two. The Simbas victories came in 2006 at the RFUEA Ground, where they won 30-26, and in 2014 during the Rugby World Cup qualifier in Madagascar, where they prevailed 29-22.
Following the first alignment camp held last week, Mukabane said two more will be held in March and April to ensure the players know the rugby philosophy of the technical team.
“The first camp was a success and we hope to continue with the same for the next three months. The players are eager to learn and conform to what the coaches want and I believe it will be replicated on the pitch once the international season starts,” added Mukabane.
The Simbas will also have a training camp once the Kenya and Enterprise Cup tournaments conclude in April to intensify their preparations.
Mukabane said with the Simbas unlikely to play in the Currie Cup in South Africa due to a cash crunch, the union was exploring playing test matches against higher-ranked opposition.
“We are talking to World Rugby to see if we can play Test matches against higher-ranked opposition. A case in point could be Belgium who are ranked 26,” he noted.
The Simbas are ranked 34 in the world and fourth on the continent behind World champions South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Source link : https://www.the-star.co.ke/sports/rugby/2024-02-27-simbas-face-namibia-in-warm-up-duel-ahead-of-africa-cup-in-july/
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Publish date : 2024-02-27 08:00:00
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