Kenya’s hopes of reclaiming continental glory and punching their ticket to the 2027 Rugby World Cup were extinguished on Sunday after a 29-23 semi-final defeat to a clinical Zimbabwe side at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.
The Simbas, chasing a third Rugby Africa title, found the Sables a hard nut to crack despite flashes of brilliance in a pulsating encounter that swung back and forth until the final whistle.
Simbas claimed their maiden crown in 2011 in the tournament held in Nairobi, where they edged out Tunisia 16-7. Their second title came two years later in 2013 in Antananarivo, Madagascar, where they outclassed Zimbabwe 29-17.
The Sables opened the scoring with an early unconverted try in the fourth minute, but the Simbas responded swiftly. Hooker Eugene Sifuna powered over the whitewash three minutes later, though John Kubu failed to add the conversion, leaving the scores tied at 5-5.
Zimbabwe regained the lead with a penalty in minute 14 following a high tackle by Griffin Chao, who was sin-binned, reducing Kenya to 14 men. Kubu slotted a penalty in the 18th minute to draw level again at 8-8. Sables skipper Hilton Mudariki restored Zimbabwe’s lead with a try, but Kubu’s boot kept Kenya in the hunt, narrowing the gap to 13-11.
After returning from the bin, Chao made amends in style, crashing over for a try before Kubu’s conversion, giving the Simbas an 18-13 lead at the break. The second half saw Zimbabwe wrest back control, crossing the chalk and adding a conversion to lead 20-18 in minute 63. What followed was a nervy climax, with both sides trading penalties and territory.
However, it was Zimbabwe’s super sub Ian Prior who turned the tide completely, coming off the bench to score thrice in the 70th, 75th and 79th minutes, sealing a hard-fought win for the Sables and extinguishing Kenya’s World Cup dream. Before the match, Simbas' head coach Jerome Paarwater had indicated he expected a physical contest against the Southern African nation.
"It's going to be a very tough and physical game because we know Zimbabwe are good, but we are going for the win," Paarwater told Telecomasia.net before the clash. Kenya's journey to the semis saw them edge out the hosts 32-24. Meanwhile, Zimbabwe eased past Morocco 43-8 to set up their place in the semis.
The Sables, who lifted the 2024 title with a commanding 29-3 win over Algeria at the same venue, now set up a mouth-watering final clash against African powerhouses Namibia, who earlier beat Algeria 21-7 to book their place. The winner will earn a slot in the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia. Namibia remain the most decorated team in the Rugby Africa Cup with nine titles, which they won in 2002, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2021.
