Kenya Simbas head coach Paul Odera has beefed up his backroom staff ahead of the resumption of the sport in the new year.
In a raft of changes for the national team, Nandi Kegode will be in charge of emotional intelligence and mental skills, Steve Mankone is the medical doctor while Billy Ondego will be the analyst.
Odera also detailed the roles that the two South African consultants, Neil De Kock and Ernst Joubert, will play for the team as they chase the elusive 2023 World Cup ticket in France.
De Kock will be in charge of kicking development, kicking strategy and the half-back while Joubert will be in charge of lineouts, kickoff and reception.
Both will be accountable for the general attacking shape of the Simbas
De Kock played 10 times for the Springboks between 2000 and 2003, went on to play and captain Saracens between 2006 and 2017 earning a total of 264 appearances.
Joubert who represented the Lions franchise and made 161 times for the English Rugby giants Saracens. He captained both the Lions and the Saracens and is the current head of the Stellenbosch Rugby International Institute (SASRII).
Assistant coach Mike Aung will take charge of scrum and forwards with Joubert reporting to him.
Odera will take charge of defence, overall game plan and strategy and running of the management team. Jimmi Mnene is the team manager.
Staff supporting the Simbas when not engaged with their core duties or with other national teams will be physiotherapist Ben Mahinda and doctor James Ondiege.
Odera expressed optimism that the squad will return to training in January, like Shujaa and Lionesses, in preparation for the yet to be confirmed Test matches and build-up encounters against Stellenbosch in April.
"I hope we can resume training in January. We had a whole year gone with no test matches because of Covid- 19 and we must make up for lost time by starting training in order to be competitive by the time the World Cup qualifiers begin in 2022," said Odera.
