Ambaka joins SA’s Western Province side

Kenya's Willy Ambaka scores a try against New Zealand during the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens tournament on March 23, 2013. AFP PHOTO / ANTONY DICKSON

Former National Sevens team player, Willy Ambaka (top), has signed for South African side Western Province for next season.

After impressing at Lyon Olympique Universitaire in France in the previous season, where they were crowned champions, Ambaka returns to Africa in a move that might see him once again link with the national teams for future assignments.

Coach Allister Coetzee said Ambaka is a good player who will be of great assistance to his side. “He is a strong runner with pace and tremendous aerial skills. He’s an exciting addition to our playing ranks. But his on-field abilities aside, Willy is a true professional looking forward to joining Western Province and being a part of the exciting brand of rugby being played here at Newlands,” he told South African Press.

Ambaka is a beneficiary of the liaision between the Kenya Rugby Union and the South African Rugby Union.

“We heard about Willy through Jerome Paarwater, who has been working with the Kenyan 15-a-side team and nearly helped them qualify for the 2015 World Cup,” said Coetzee.