Kenya Simbas ahead coach Paul Odera hailed his charges' defensive efforts despite losing 25-7 to South West District Eagles in the final Currie Cup match on South African soil on Saturday.
The former Kenya Under 20 and Strathmore Leos coach made 10 changes for the encounter due to injury and need to keep his charges fresh.
But despite the changes, Odera observed that there has been tremendous improvement as the competition wore on.
"I must commend the team for putting up resolute defence despite the defeat. We made 10 changes and the boys put in a tough shift against quality opposition," he said.
However, Odera said the side must be clinical in attack and convert possession into points.
“We missed two penalties and a couple of chances which would have put us in good stead. But overall, the effort today was good,” added Odera.
Odera said he will play his strongest squad in the final two matches against Eastern Province and Leopards at the RFUEA grounds in the next fortnight.
"The next two games are on home soil and with the World Cup qualifiers in July, we will play our strongest squad and hopefully win both matches," he added.
Fans will for the first some attend Simbas matches after missing out on last year's World Cup qualifiers due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Against the Eagles, the Simbas scored the opening try through Timothy Omela with Dominic Coulson kicking over the conversion for a 7-0 lead.
Intermittent rain made handling difficult and the Eagles dominated possession but the Simbas defended firmly.
The Simbas were, however, dealt a blow when tighthead prop Joseph Odera was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle.
The South Africans capitalised and scored a try through Stephen Leonard and converted by Lungelo Gosa for a 7-7 scoreline at the interval.
On resumption, the home side mastered the wet conditions better and scored two quick tries with Mitch Carstens and Justin Theys and converted both through Gosa. Gosa also added a penalty to close out the contest.
