Conditioining, kicking must improve ahead of WXV 3, says Mwanja

Kenya Lionesses coach Dennis Mwanja said the team needs to improve on conditioning and kicking ahead of the WXV 3 tournament in October.

Speaking on Sunday, the tactician said the Rugby Africa Women's Cup in Madagascar was an eye-opener in the two facets of play, and with three months to the world tournament, there is work to be done.

"From our review, our conditioning was not up to par and the kicking game — both for points and territory — was very poor. We are going back to the drawing board to rectify those areas when we resume training this week," added Mwanja.

He added that they also need to improve their ball handling, especially while under pressure.

“Our decision-making under pressure has to be better going forward,” observed Mwanja.

The Lionesses edged Madagascar 29-20 then lost 48-0 to eventual winners South Africa before bouncing back to thrash Cameroon 52-3 to finish second and qualify for the WXV tournament.

Mwanja has also asked the Kenya Rugby Union to prepare friendly matches between now and September in order to be competitive.

"Our last game before the Madagascar tournament was in November, against Uganda, and that does not augur well with our plans going forward. We are meeting very strong sides so our plea to the union is to get us friendly matches to sharpen ourselves," added Mwanja.

The KCB assistant coach said the ultimate goal is to qualify for the Rugby World Cup in 2029.

"Our dream and desire is to qualify for the Rugby World Cup in four to five years. We also need to erect structures that will get as many girls as possible to play the game and gain them exposure,” added Mwanja.

He revealed that they are consulting Rugby Afrique in their quest to have the Africa Sevens championships in October postponed since it coincides with the WXV 3 tournament.

“Kenya Rugby Union is talking to the continental body to see if we can have the Sevens Olympic qualifier played early next year. As it is right now, it will be very difficult to raise two competitive teams for both tournaments,” added Mwanja.

The Lionesses are scheduled to face Kazakhstan, Italy or Spain and teams from Oceania and South America.