KCB hooker Griffin Musila has rejoined the Kenya Simbas squad for the repechage tournament slated for Dubai in November.
Musila suffered a knee injury in 2021 and has just resumed training, missing out on a huge chunk of the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup season for the bankers, who finished third overall last season.
Speaking on Tuesday, Simbas head coach Paul Odera said Musila's return is a big boost for the side, especially for depth at the hooking position.
"Glad that he is back in training after a long layoff. We will assess him once we meet up with the rest of the squad very soon. His return builds our depth for the repechage,” said Odera.
Nondies prop Ian Njenga, who got injured while training for the Currie Cup in South Africa, is also back in training while Strathmore Leos utility back Andrew Matoka will miss the repechage after securing a scholarship in the United States.
Odera, however, cast a worried look with barely two months to the repechage as the team need Sh38 million for a training camp in South Africa to be adequately prepared for the event.
Simbas will meet USA, Portugal and Hong Kong with the winner nailing the final qualification slot for the Rugby World Cup in France.
"It's not looking good. Time is not on our side. We have been away for the past six weeks due to certain factors like the elections but we need to start training immediately if we are to be competitive," said Odera.
"I know the CEO and the chairman are looking for money for the team and I know it is not easy. Our competitors at the repechage are not standing still. We need to get to back training and ensure the boys are in the best possible shape for the repechage.”
The Simbas missed out on automatic qualification when they lost the Africa Cup final to Namibia 36-0 in Marseille last month.
The Simbas had beaten Uganda 42-7 in the quarterfinal and Algeria 36-33 in the semifinals before coming unstuck in the final against the well-oiled Namibian outfit.
