Kenya Simbas hold South Western Districts Eagles in South Africa

Brian Wahinya (2nd L) of Kenya Simbas celebrate with teammate after scoring against Uganda Cranes during the 2024 Elgon Cup Tournament at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi on November 09, 2024. [Stafford Ondego, Standard]

Kenya Simbas begun their preparations for the upcoming Rugby Africa Cup on a positive note after rallying from behind to hold South Western Districts (SWD) Eagles RFC 17-17 in a friendly match played on Tuesday evening at Mossel Bay in South Africa.

Simbas are set to play in the continental games next month in Kampala, Uganda, matches that will also act as the qualifiers for upcoming 2027 Rugby World Cup to be played in Australia.

Kenya tied 12-12 with SWD Eagles at half time before again rallying to force a 17-17 stalemate at the end of the 80 minutes.

After going behind 5-0, Menengai Oilers star Samuel Ovwamu opened the scoring for the visitors who took a 7-5 lead after KCB’s Brian Wahinya added the extras.

The hosts responded with a converted try to go 12-7 up, but the Simbas levelled matters before the break, this time with an unconverted try.

Griffin Musila grounded the ball after a well-executed lineout to tie the scores at 12-12 heading into the breather.

In the second half, SWD Eagles went ahead again this time with an unconverted try to make it 17-12.

However, the Simbas once again showed resilience, with Ibrahim Ayoo crossing the whitewash to level the match at 17-17 with another unconverted try.

The Simbas will now have a six-day break before facing the South Africa U20 side on Monday, June 9, in Stellenbosch.

They will meet the same side again on Saturday, June 14, also in Stellenbosch.

On Friday, June 20, the team travels to Wellington for a clash against Sanlam Boland.

The final leg of the tour will feature back-to-back fixtures against Limpopo on Tuesday, June 24, and Thursday, June 26, both in Limpopo.