The Kenya Simbas’ preparations ahead of their clash against their rivals Namibia are underway at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport. After arriving on Sunday midmorning, the team had to isolate all day as they waited for their covid results to get back and after confirmation that all parties tested negative, they started their sessions with a morning field session on Monday.
From the camp, three players picked up a few knocks from the weekend match against the Carling Champions Team, namely Joshua Chisanga, Malcolm Onsando and Captain Daniel Sikuta. “From where we stand, this is encouraging for us since we expected a few more serious injuries because of the nature and physicality of the team we played. The three are however recovering well from their knocks and should be up for selection this weekend. We also have four more players joining us, so this will bolster the team and also bring on some competition in the team,” said Odera.
The match on 6th November was one of the best learning experiences we’ve had for a long time as a Country because the pace, accuracy and tactical awareness of the Carling Team was really challenging. The Simbas definitely picked up a few lessons that they will be taking into their encounter against Namibia.
“The next two matches are crucial as they are ranking matches and they will also allow us to compare ourselves against two of the best sides continentally, that is Zimbabwe and Namibia. The Namibia match in particular because we last played them in 2018 when we were seeking qualification for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, This will be excellent opportunities to measure ourselves against quality opposition,” he added.
The overall goal for The Simbas is to get to France and these fixtures are playing a key role in just that.
Kenya takes on Namibia on Sunday 14th November at 5:00pm EAT in the second Rugby Africa fixture at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport. The Zimbabwe vs Brazil match will kick off at 3:00pm EAT at the same venue.
