HEADING DOWN SOUTH

Simbas to face Namibia in Quadrangular tourney in South Africa

In a statement, World Rugby said the tournament is to help African teams get ideal preparations for next year's World Cup qualifiers in France.

In Summary

• The Simba's have a poor playing record against Namibia with only two wins, in 2006 and 2014 — 30-26 and 28-20 respectively.

•The Carling Champion Team will be selected from the Seven Currie Cup franchises namely the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, Lions, Cheetahs, Griquas, and Pumas.

Kenya Simbas' Davis Chenge fending off two Zambian defenders during Rugby World Cup qualifier at Nyayo Stadium.
Kenya Simbas' Davis Chenge fending off two Zambian defenders during Rugby World Cup qualifier at Nyayo Stadium.
Image: EZEKIEL AMINGA

Kenya Simbas are slated to play a four-team Quadrangular tournament in Stellenbosch, South Africa next month.

Paul Odera's charges will face Namibia in the opening semi-final match with Zimbabwe facing Brazil.

The winners advance to the final while the losers play a third-place playoff.

In a statement, World Rugby said the tournament is to help African teams get ideal preparations for next year's World Cup qualifiers in France.

The Simba's have a poor playing record against Namibia with only two wins, in 2006 and 2014 — 30-26 and 28-20 respectively.

They have met seven times dating back to 1993 when they lost 60-9 during the Rugby World Cup qualifiers and have lost the last three meetings — 56-21 in 2016, 45-7  in 2017 and 53-28 in 2018.

Kenya will be the lowest-ranked team in the competition with powerhouses Namibia placed 25th,Brazil 26th, Zimbabwe 34 and Kenya 35th.

The Simba's are also slated to play Carling Cup champion select side on November 6 at the Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria in the inaugural Champions match.

The Carling Champion Team will be selected from the Seven Currie Cup franchises namely the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers, Lions, Cheetahs, Griquas, and Pumas.

The Simba's will face the top provincial players from South Africa's Currie Cup sides and include former Springboks Marcel Coetzee, Arno Botha, Schalk Erasmus, Janko Swanepoel, Ruan Pienaar, Lionel Mapoe and Conrad Hendricks amongst others.

The match is a bold initiative between Carling Black Label sponsors of the Currie Cup and South Africa Rugby

Kenya Rugby Union chairman Oduor Gangla was delighted with the fixture.

"This will be an excellent opportunity for the Simba's to play top-notch professional opponents even as we prepare for the international test matches coming up. The experience of such matches is truly priceless as we prepare for the Rugby World Cup qualifiers next year," noted Gangla.

"We are grateful to Carling and SARU for granting us this unique invitation and look forward to an exciting start to our international window matches."

South Africa Rugby Chief executive officer June Roux said he was delighted to have Kenya play the encounter.

The Simba's squad resumed training this week with medical tests and will have the next three weeks to intensify preparations for a busy November.