Kenya Simbas will ring changes ahead of the return leg fixture against the Uganda Cranes on July 13 in Kampala.
From the team that started the first leg in Kisumu, the Simbas will be without nine players including siblings Dominic and Cameron Coulson, Jeff Mutuku, Emmanuel Silungi and John Okoth. The five are part of Kenya Under-20 squad heading to Brazil for the Junior World Rugby Trophy.
Kabras quartet of George Nyambua, Ephraim Oduor, Brian Juma and Joseph Odero are also away in South Africa to play for Primrose RFC on a two-month training stint and will also miss the Victoria Cup fixtures against Zimbabwe and Zambia next month.
Head coach Paul Odera said the technical bench will field a very experienced squad for the return match, having lost the first leg 16-13 at the Mambo Leo showground. “We expect to field a strong and experienced squad for the return leg match and I am confident we can retain the Elgon Cup. We have a three-point deficit and I am confident that the team can overcome,” added Odera.
He said the team must improve on its decision making if they are to overcome the Ugandans at their backyard. "We had a problem in our decision making in some key moments of the match and it's something we have addressed with the technical bench and I am confident it will improve for the return leg,” he said.
Odera noted that execution in the attack has to be sharpened by the side. “We had a couple of line breaks by some of our players but we were not able to convert opportunities to tries and it's something we must do better in the return leg,” the tactician noted.
Odera said the short preparation period prior to the first leg had hampered the team's performance. "We have a short time to train but as the season progresses for the internationals, the boys will get better as we go along,” added Odera.
Meanwhile, Kenya Lionesses are favourites to win the Elgon Cup title after winning the first leg 44-13 against Uganda ahead of the World Cup qualifiers next month in South Africa.
The two Kenyan sides are expected to leave the country next Wednesday and travel by road to Kampala. The Simbas have dominated the Elgon Cup since inception, winning 11 times with Uganda winning four times.
