Kenya crowned African champs
Rugby
By
-BS MULAVI
| Jul 15, 2013
By BS MULAVI
The Kenya National fifteens team once again did Kenya proud as they were crowned the African Champions after an emphatic 29-17 victory over fierce rivals Zimbabwe in the finals of the Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) tournament in Antananarivo Madagascar.
Barely a month after the Kenya Sevens team established Kenya as the number four nation in the world in the shorter version of the game, the 15s team has followed suit and are now the top African nation with the exception of South Africa who do not take part in the tournament due to their position as a top three team in the world in the International Rugby Board rankings.
Speaking after the match, Team Manager Wangila Simiyu said, “ We came here on a mission. This is a victory not only for us, but for the entire nation. We are thankful to the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) for their support. Rest assured that this is just the beginning of a great time for Kenyan fifteens rugby.
Head Coach Jerome Paarwater has worked wonders with the boys. Kudos to him. Beating Zimbabwe is no easy feat, and as we approach next year’s championships, we must keep the focus, the 2015 RWC is attainable.”
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two games away
The victory for Kenya not only makes them the African kings of rugby, but also puts them two games away from their first ever fifteens rugby World Cup. Kenya will now play Namibia next year in the semi-final of the 1A competition.
Namibia were promoted to the top tier of the competition after emerging top of 1B and they are likely to be Kenya’s toughest opponent.
The winner of next year’s competition gains automatic qualification to the 2015 World Cup in England and apart from South Africa, Namibia has always been Africa’s representative in the games.
This means Kenya’s journey is only beginning and for them to qualify for the World Cup, they will have to beat the assumed toughest contestants in the games.
Meanwhile, not only did their victory edge them closer to the World Cup, but it also silenced critics who had questioned the composition of the team, when they lost to Uganda 17-16 in Elgon Cup.
The side has been training since the beginning of the year and they are reaping the benefits of a strength and conditioning programme and the tactical assistance of the South African Western Province franchise.