Kenya face Zimbabwe in junior rugby tie
Rugby
By
By BS MULAVI
| Aug 27, 2013
By BS MULAVI
The national Under-19 rugby team is raring to go, as they take part in the Confederation of African Rugby youth tournament in Pretoria, South Africa.
Kenya is currently in tier 1A and can retain that status if the team beats Zimbabwe today in the semi-final round of the tournament.
Speaking to Feverpitch from South Africa, head coach Paul Murunga said they are feeling confident ahead of the tie.
“In comparison to previous editions, we have prepared very well for this assignment,” he said.
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“In terms of selection and conditioning, we are a notch higher than when we played Zimbabwe last year and lost by a slender 12-10 margin in Harare.”
“Our main aim is to remain in tier 1A, which is the highest level in African rugby in this tournament. Our first target is to beat Zimbabwe. We do not want to get preoccupied with who we might meet if we reach the final. In fact, we are more excited to meet our rivals Zimbabwe and beat them.”
Semis opponents
The other semi-final sees Namibia play Madagascar, with the winners meeting in the finals for the African junior title.
The winner of the tournament will also secure a slot in next year’s Junior World Rugby Trophy as the sole African representative in the distinguished tournament.
The JWRT will be played in Hong Kong and will be eligible for the Under-20s team, which will give the players who took part in the CAR tourney a chance to also take part.
The team has been training for almost four months. The Kenya Rugby Union aims at lifting the standards of 15s rugby in the country and a lot of attention will be given to the side.