Kenya Lionesses Faith Livoi fends off a Ugandan player during the Rugby Africa Cup in Madagascar/HANDOUT
Kenya Lionesses coach Dennis Mwanja has called for more funding and Test matches.
Speaking Friday after Lionesses finished second at the Rugby Africa Cup in Madagascar, Mwanja said more resources are required in the 15s programme as the hunt for qualification for the 2029 Rugby World Cup in Australia intensifies.
He observed that Lionesses have better chances to feature at the global show, more promising than their Kenya Simbas counterparts.
“Madagascar was an eye-opener. We trained for just a fortnight yet were able to finish second, pushing a South African team which will be going to the World Cup later this year. We need more from the union (Kenya Rugby Union) to achieve the dream of qualifying for the World Cup in four years,” noted Mwanja.
“Our front rows, the props and hookers were rusty so they needed more time to train and acclimatise to match South Africa, especially at the setpiece.”
The runners-up position earned Lionesses a ticket to next year’s WXV3 tournament, whose date and venue are yet to be announced by World Rugby.
“As you are aware, World Rugby is keen on cutting costs... like you saw what happened to the Seven Series, so we wait to see if it (WXV3) will go ahead. If it does, then we need to start our preparations early and get the girls in the right frame of mind,” added Mwanja.
The Lionesses made light work of hosts Madagascar in the opener, winning 28-5. They lost 19-12 to eventual winners South Africa in the second and thrashed Uganda 49-0 in the third match of the four-team championship.
Mwanja said the introduction of the Sevens players made the difference.
“You could see their impact, the likes of Freshia Awino, Grace Okulu and Stella Wafula brought to the squad... the speed and decision-making, and experience was a sight to behold,” said Mwanja.
Faith Livoi was the Impact Player of the tournament with a performance rating of 7.1, six line breaks, two tries, an 88 per cent tackle completion rate and 36 carries.
The Lionesses had seven players in the team of the tournament... Naomi Muhanji and Naomi Amuguni in the forwards, and Edith Nariaka, Moreen Muritu, Livoi, Wafula and Awino in the backs.
