Kenya Simbas plan to have a training camp every month in readiness for the final round of Rugby World Cup qualifiers slated for next year .
Kenya whitewashed Zambia 45-8 at Nyayo Stadium. Team manager Jimmi Mnene said preparation will be key for the next 11 months if the country is to qualify for the Rugby World Cup in France 2023.
“Our preparations have to be spot on. You saw what happened against Senegal even though the boys bounced back to win against Zambia. We had not played for two years and now going forward, we need to have camps every month to keep the team fresh and energised for the task ahead,” added Mnene.
Mnene said training camps in South Africa every quarter will also boost their teams' preparation for the World Cup qualifiers.
“We had planned to tour to Stellenbosch but it did not materialiase due to lack of funding and we are requesting the government to facilitate and enable us expose our players to high-performance training," he added.
The Simbas are likely to play the Elgon Cup against Uganda before the end of the year after it was postponed from last month due to rising cases of Covid-19 .
“We are looking at playing our neighbours before the end of the year and it will be a big boost for us” he added
Deputy President William Ruto, who was the chief guest at the match on Sunday, lauded the team's achievement alongside the exploits of Kenya Under-20 team which edged Madagascar 21-20 to book a ticket to the Junior Rugby World Trophy next year.
“ You have done the country proud and we pledge to support your efforts to get to the World Cup in France.”
Elsewhere, Impala and Kabras notched up wins in the Kenya Cup matches played over the weekend. Impala edged Nakuru 25-18 as Kabras thrashed Blak Blad 47-8.
The win pushed Kabras to second place on the log with 20 points—four behind KCB while Impala jumped to fourth with 11 points.
