Kenya Simbas will be keen to improve on the set piece ahead of the Rugby World Cup qualifiers slated for Uganda in July.
Team manager Jimmi Mnene said following last year’s poor performance in the Africa Cup and review of the performance, they will have to be sharp in the line-out.
“Rugby 15s is all about the set piece generally, if you look at our Kenya Cup teams, we struggle in the lineout and that filters to the national team. So, for the upcoming camp in Kakamega, we are going to focus on many other facets of the game,” observed Mnene.
He said they will be emphasising decision-making at the upcoming camp and on the trip to South Africa next month.
“It’s an area which we feel we did not exploit well last season, but from the two camps we have had this year, we are putting focus on it,” observed Mnene.
He said he expects competition for places to be competitive at the one-week camp, which starts Monday and runs to Sunday in Kakamega.
“You just saw the Kenya Cup semifinals and finals and the battle between Menengai Oilers and Kabras and KCB and Nondies. We have also called up the international players from Romania and South Africa, and the competition will be cutthroat. Every player will put their best foot forward, and we will pick the best,” added Mnene.
Only one team will qualify from Africa for the Rugby World Cup slated for Australia in 2027, with the runner-up facing off with the winner from Asia in the playoff match.
Thereafter, the winner will face off with the fifth-placed winner in Europe, alongside the regional winner from South America and a regional qualifier from the Pacific for the final slot in November at a venue to be determined by World Rugby.
Elsewhere, the Daystar University Falcons Rugby team is inviting talented rugby players to join their men’s squad ahead of the 2025/2026 Kenya Cup season.
Fresh from a historic promotion, the Falcons are keen on strengthening their ranks as they prepare for top-flight competition, where they will be playing in the Kenya Cup.
The university announced open trials for players who meet specific requirements, where applicants must have scored a minimum of D+ in their Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations and must be aged 24 years or younger.
Daystar, alongside Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, will now replace Mwamba RFC and South Coast Pirates, who were relegated from the Kenya Cup at the end of the 2024/2025 season.
