Kenya Under 20 rugby coach Curtis Olago says there is still room for improvement despite their 54-20 victory over Uganda in the Barthes Cup quarterfinal over the weekend.
Olago said a herculean task awaits his charges in the semifinal when they face former champions Namibia on Wednesday.
"We have to keep up the intensity and physicality for the semifinal. The boys know they can play better and Namibia are a very strong and dangerous side. We must be ready for them," he noted.
Olago, who is also a KCB tactician, said they have two days to polish up their weaknesses in the game.
"It's a very short turnaround rest and recovery and then we start preparing for a huge game on Wednesday," added Olago.
He hailed his charges for a brilliant second half as they tormented Uganda with crisp attacking moves and sheer physicality in the forwards.
"We started slowly and the execution wasn't good in the first half but changed tact in the second half. Credit to the boys, they gave it their all."
The match dubbed the Junior Elgon Cup, saw Kenya score seven tries to Uganda's two with Idd Ganguma scoring a brace. Felix Chache, Nicholas Okumu, Daniel Mwangi, and Matthias Osimbo scored a try each. Cornelius Mukoro kicked over three penalties and five conversions. Emman Ochan and Daniel Okello scored a try apiece for Uganda with Okello slotting home two conversions.
Kenya led 11-10 at the interval. In other results, Namibia thrashed Ivory Coast 62-0 as Zimbabwe edged Tunisia 19-18. Madagascar beat Zambia 24-18.
Kenya are the defending champions and are seeking a third consecutive title after triumphs in 2019 when they beat Namibia 21-18 in the final and last year when they edged Madagascar 21-20.
Elsewhere, Kabras completed a league and cup double by beating rivals KCB 9-6 to successfully defend the Enterprise Cup at the RFUEA ground.
South African Ntabeni Dukisa slotted home three penalties for the win which sees sugar millers join the bankers, Impala, Nondies, and Nakuru as the only clubs to win both the Kenya and Enterprise Cup in the same year.
