•Mwanja charges edged Zambia 36-17 in the first match and the tactician believes there is room for improvement ahead of the Migingo derby midweek.
•Elsewhere, Menengai Oilers and Blak Blad qualified for the semifinals of the Impala floodlit.
Image: REUTERS
Kenya Lionesses head coach Dennis Mwanja believes they have to step up a gear when they face neighbours Uganda on Wednesday in the Africa Women's Cup.
Mwanja's charges edged Zambia 36-17 in the first match and the tactician believes there is room for improvement ahead of the Migingo derby midweek.
“Generally, we played well but we conceded soft tries to the Zambians. Defensively, we have to be sharper against Uganda,” he added.
The KCB assistant coach was encouraged by the setpiece with Kenya dominating the forwards battle against Zambia.
“Our forwards created the platform from where we were able to dominate play. We need to do even better against Uganda on Wednesday because it will be a tough battle,” added Mwanja.
The winner of the Kenya match against Uganda will be promoted to Pool 'A' next year, where champions South Africa and Namibia await.
Mwanja said they will take a game at a time. "The girls resume training on Monday (today) and will have a light session on Tuesday," he added.
In the encounter, captain Peruz Muyuka landed an unconverted try for a 5-0 lead before Grace Adhiambo converted Naomi Amuguni’s try for a 12-0 score after a period of dogged Zambian resistance.
Anne Goretti then added a drop goal for a 15-0 score before tries from Meryl Lyamba and Millie Katombo in between a Goretti penalty brought the score to 18-12. Christine Lindo scored on the stroke of halftime to give the Lionesses a 23-12 lead at the break.
A change in the front row saw Natasha Emali come in for Evelyne Kalemera, giving the Lionesses the impetus in the forwards.
The fruits were soon borne when Leah Wambui went over the chalk with Goretti's conversion ensuring a 30-12 lead. Another Goretti penalty took Kenya 33-12 up before Lyamba added her brace for a 33-17 score with 15 minutes to play.
Goretti then scored the last points of the game, drilling home a penalty to give the Lionesses the lead in the pool.
Elsewhere, Menengai Oilers and Blak Blad qualified for the semifinals of the Impala floodlit.
Oilers defeated cross-town rivals Nakuru 26-13 while Blak Blad had to dig deep to beat Strathmore Leos 22-19 to progress to the semifinals.
The third quarterfinal between Impala and Nondescripts was suspended at halftime due to a power outage that rendered visibility difficult amidst player safety concerns. Nondies were leading hosts Impala 15-0 at the time.
This fixture will resume at 5.00 pm on Wednesday evening before champions KCB face Kenya Harlequin in the day’s last fixture at 6.30 pm.