Strathmore Leos duo of Andrew Matoka and Bethwell Anami alongside Derrick Ashiundu will make their debuts for the Simbas on Saturday against a Carling Currie Cup select team in Pretoria.
The trio will come off the bench in the team announced by head coach Paul Odera on Friday.
Speaking after the Captain’s run, Odera added that selection for the match is very interesting since they’ve had to look at different scenarios including who can play multiple positions.
“This is probably the hardest match the Simbas have played when it comes to the intensity that we are going to encounter. Our strength is that we have the athleticism that can work for us but we also have to counterbalance that withholding our own set-pieces," said Odera.
"We have Jone Kubu and Samuel Asati as the half-back pairing that will start this match and the good thing about having Asati at #9 is that he is an excellent defender. We expect a lot of pressure from our matchday opponents."
“We have three debutants in the team, Matoka, Anami and Ashihundu and they are players to truly look out for because they are excellent in their own right. The mood in the team is very good. I wish I was a young player again because playing in this facility, in a ground like this that has so much history is what players look to live for and I think they will do themselves and the country proud,” added Odera.
Skipper Dan Sikuta said the team was in a good mental and physical state that could be seen from the one-week camp they had in Nairobi in October up to now.
“We had a recovery session on Wednesday immediately after arriving in South Africa. From the look of things, the boys are ready for the match this weekend. The positive energy can be felt across board and what we need to do is focus on the task at hand. I strongly believe that we shall come back with good results based on the targets we have set for ourselves,” said Sikuta.
Key players for the Simbas upfront will be hooker Eugene Sifuna alongside Romania-based lock Malcolm Onsando, Joshua Chisanga and Patrick Oyugi. An enticing backline features Fiji-born Kubu, vice captain Darwin Mukidza, Vincent Onyala and Asati.
