Chipu kicked off their Rugby Africa U20 Barthes Trophy campaign with a hard-fought 34-28 triumph over Namibia on Saturday, April 20, 2024, in Harare, Zimbabwe. Both teams exchanged penalties early on, with Namibia’s Petrus Tromp and Kenya’s Patrick Wainaina each slotting one, leaving the score tied at 3-3 before Michael Wamalwa’s try pushed Chipu ahead 8-3.
A smooth passing sequence among Chipu’s backs set up Eugene Etale’s try, with James Olela converting to extend the lead to 15-3. Namibia replied with Tromp’s second penalty, narrowing the gap to 15-6. Eugene Ojiambo capitalized on a loose ball, boosting Chipu’s lead to 20-6, followed by Olela’s penalty, which closed the first half with Chipu leading 23-6.
Namibia surged after halftime, scoring an unconverted try to make it 23-11 before Olela added another penalty, extending Chipu’s lead to 26-11. However, Namibia rallied, scoring 12 consecutive points to cut Chipu’s lead to 26-23, before Olela’s penalty made it 29-23 for Chipu.
In a tense finale, Namibia closed the gap to one point with an unconverted try, making it 29-28, but Chipu secured the win with a late try. The Kenyan U20s will face Tunisia next on Wednesday, April 24th at 3:00pm EAT.
