Simbas' captain George Nyambua takes on UAE defence with Obat Kuke in support during their friendly on Saturday at the RFUEA ground/HANDOUT
Kenya Simbas head coach Jeromme Paarwater faces a selection headache when naming the final 33-man squad for the Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Kampala, Uganda, from July 8 to 25.
This is after his side demolished the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 54-24 in a Test match on Saturday at the RFUEA grounds.
The match, played in three quarters of 30 minutes each, saw Paarwater experiment with his lineup, with all 50 players in camp getting a run out.
The South African was impressed and said several players put their hands in for selection.
“It's a tough call whittling down the players to 33 33-man final squad. Every player brought his 'A' game onto the field. This gives the technical bench a good headache on choosing the final squad,“ added Paarwater.
Paarwater said the match provided insights to consider as per their two-week training camp in Kakamega.
"There were positives to take from the match. But there are areas we need to work on. The upshot is that we will be in South Africa for the next four weeks to clean up all facets of play and ensure we are a well-oiled machine before the trip to Kampala,” he noted
The Simbas had a poor first half, trailing 14-0 to tries from the UAE inside centre, Justin Walsh.
Paarwater then made changes at the 30-minute mark, bringing an entirely new side and the changes paid off with France-based Bethuel Anami crashing over the line with Eric Cantona splitting the uprights for a 14-7 score.
UAE did not go down without a fight. They scored a third try to extend the lead to 21-7 after Cantona misjudged a high ball in the Simbas' 22.
Cantona redeemed himself when he combined with Samuel Ovwamu to score under the post and convert the try, bringing the Simbas to within seven points, 21-14. UAE closed out the half with a penalty, leading 24-14 after the hour mark.
Paarwater then brought his big guns for the final 30 minutes, and they dominated the contest with Elkeans Musonye, Ibrahim Ayoo, Griffin Chao, AndyCole Omolo and Bryceson Adaka scoring a try each to complete the rout.
Timothy Omela added five conversions.
The final 33-man squad is expected to be named this week before departing on Wednesday for a high-performance tour to South Africa.
