The Simbas management led by Head Coach Paul Odera has gradually been working on a manual that gives a clear understanding of the team and what it believes in. A Simbas culture.
In May this year, the Kenya Rugby Union published what was the genesis of the manual and what it aims to address as well as its circulation.
“The idea, which is an amalgamation of the intellectual capacity of the whole management team, first came to Mike Aung and I in 2015. We saw how Namibia and Zimbabwe were operating in the final of the Barthes cup in Harare and we decided that a manual would be a good start for us to get to Namibia and Zimbabwe’s level,” said Odera.
The manual covers Strength and Conditioning (S & C), Medical, Mental skills, Defense, Attack, Forward play, Backline play, general skills, management and will soon include a match officials section.
Odera intends to use the manual for the duration of his tenure as Simbas’ head coach. “However, what is important is that we keep reviewing it constantly so that it evolves and adapts not only to our Kenyan environment but to the international environment as well,” he added.
The team has included Simbas ethos as part of the content in the manual, “We considered having the ethos as part of the manual, because a strong culture and values are the foundation of making a team.
Building a team without an ethos is like building a castle on quicksand. Without a foundation, it will all come tumbling down,” said Odera.
The Simbas playing unit was included in the settling of these ethos:
Purpose:
· To transform Kenya through rugby.
Mission:
· To transform our country and rugby by fighting for what we believe in; through leadership and our identity; inspiring pride and love for the people of Kenya and the game. We represent the essence of being Kenyan.
Vision:
· To qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France .
Our Identity:
· The Lion – leadership, resilience, strength
The Shield – brotherhood, protection, accountability.
The Spear – The pinnacle, warriors, 53 million strong.
Who we are:
We stand for all Kenyans (#53MillionStrong).
The 3 words :
(Lion/Shield/Spear)
Our Values:
·Protection
·Respect
·Honesty
·Perseverance
·Leadership
· Warriors
How we behave:
1. We work as a team: protect & respect
• We use the right shield at the right time
(individual shield, team shield, task shield, social shield) – above all we put the team ahead of ourselves when we need to.
•We support and encourage each other.
•We hold each other accountable with empathy.
2. We are honest
3. We fight for every inch.
4. We embody perseverance
5. We are all leaders.
“The overall goal is to have the whole manual distributed to all regions in the country as a way of spreading the rugby gospel far and wide. The manual will also be translated into as many local dialects as possible,” concluded Odera.
*This article appears in the October 2020 edition of Game Live! You can read the whole magazine on this link https://www.kru.co.ke/magazine/october-2020/
