Kenya Simbas coach Jerome Paarwater has called for patience as he embarks on leading the national team to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
The South African tactician, who was reappointed as Simbas head coach last week, believes the forthcoming Currie Cup first division tournament augurs well with their plans for the global tournament in four years.
"It's a competitive event and I was glad to see the boys playing there last year. Playing against the best South African teams will be of great value going forward,” said Paarwater.
Paarwater, alongside his new assistants Curtis Olago of KCB and Carlos Katwya of Kabras, were on hand to conduct the Simbas trials over the weekend with over 85 players in attendance.
“It was a good exercise. We saw a lot of good players showcasing their ability and, going forward, we just need to polish up certain areas in the various facets of play,” observed Paarwater.
He hinted at picking a young squad for the next World Cup cycle, saying: “Expect a younger, fitter and fresher squad but this does not mean I can't select older players if they are up to the challenge. But look the world over, the big nations have young players as the spine of their team."
Paarwater said he will use the next two years to put proper structure in place, arguing that the team should be judged by the third year.
“It's a rebuilding process and we must get the right composition of players and tactical structure as well establish how we want to play. This will take. You can judge us by the third year," he added.
Paarwater has also encouraged Kenya Cup rugby coaches to play a similar brand of rugby to the national for uniformity.
“I'm encouraging our Kenya Cup coaches to emulate what we are doing at the national level in terms of structure and tactics for us to be on the same page in the months and years to come," he said.
