They finished second in the Rugby Africa Gold Cup in mid August after losing 53-28 in Windhoek. They are less than 48 hours away from securing their first win and increasing their chances of qualifying for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan as the first match day of the Repechage is this Sunday, 11th November.
For the first time in history, Kenya will play Canada and in one of the most crucial matches of each team’s lives. The winner of this opener increases their chances of joining Pool B in the RWC next year. Head Coach Ian Snook named his charges to face the Canadian this afternoon.
Front row – Patrick Ouku, Colman Were, Joseph Odero Second row George Nyambua pairs up with Malcolm Onsondo. Andrew Omonde, Davis Chenge (c) and Joshua Chisanga take charge of the backrow. Resolution Impala Saracens duo of Samson Onsomu and Sammy Oliech will be the half backs on duty. Snook has fielded a back three line up of William Ambaka, Darwin Mukidza and Tony Onyango while Leo Seje Owade and Collins Injera are the starting centers.
The reserves for this match are: Philip Ikabilli, Moses Amusala, Hilary Mwanjilwa, Wilson Kopondo, Oliver Mangeni, Mohammed Omollo, William Reeve and Martin Owillah.
Speaking to the Captain Davis Chenge, he had this to say, “Canada will be an exciting match and a vital one for our campaign as we haven’t played them before and I feel the result of that game will really matter a lot in terms of morale of the team going forward.”
The Simbas take on Canada at 3:00pm EAT at the Stade Delort in Marseille. World Rugby have shared information on how fans can follow the Repechage matches.
“The RWC2019 Repechage kicks off at Stade Delort in Marseille, France on Sunday 11 November and fans around the world will be able to watch the action via a host of international broadcasters and online streaming on @WorldRugby and @rugbyworldcup 2019 websites.” – @WorldRugby
— Kenya Rugby (@OfficialKRU) November 9, 2018
The Simba’s next match is on Saturday 17th November against Germany.
