Kenya 15s will play Brazil on June 11 in a Test match away in Rio, Brazil.
Director of elite squads and performance, Oscar Mango, said the match will help to improve Kenya ranking and prepare them for the Confederation of Africa matches against champions Namibia, Zimbabwe and Uganda in July.
Kenya are due to play either Belgium or Russia in the same month in June and play Hong Kong on August 25. Mango said he expects the team to be in Brazil a week before the match to acclimatise. Brazil are ranked 38th while Kenya are 27th in the world.
The Kenya team started training last month with a provisional squad of 42 players and will this weekend undergo an intensive three-day training camp at the Barclays Sports Club before the team is whittled down to 35 on Sunday.
Team manager Wangila Simiyu said competition for places in the squad is very healthy as youth seek to topple their experienced counterparts.
The team will be aiming to move up the ranking in a bid to win the Africa title.
“We had very good wins against Spain and Portugal last year. The teams are ranked above us and we need to carry that form into this season and have a competitive squad,” added Simiyu.
Simiyu said the long term goal will be to qualify for the Rugby World Cup in 2019 in Japan after coming close to the qualifying for last year’s World Cup in England. “We must have good feeder programme. We will look at the Kenya under-19s and see who can join the senior squad and get sponsorship to motivate our players in the run up to the World Cup,” he added.
Elsewhere, Blak Blad RFC hooker Valentine Akwana has been ruled out for up to six weeks with a fractured ankle he sustained in the match against Western Bulls.
Blak Blad were playing away to Western Bulls in a match they won 7-5.