Kenya’s U20 celebrate their win against Hong Kong China during World Rugby U20 Trophy 2023 at the Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday, July 25, 2023. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]
Kenya national U-20 rugby team will be keen to maintain their perfect start to the Rugby Africa Under-20 Barthés Trophy when they face off against Namibia in their second match from 1 pm East African Time at the Old Hararians Sports Club in Harare, Zimbabwe.
Chipu, the defending champions, picked a narrow 29-21 victory over a resilient Tunisia side over the weekend.
Speaking ahead of the match, Chipu captain Roy Maruti said the team has recovered from their weekend hits and they have worked out their mistakes.
Maruti believes they have the quality to edge out Namibia, a major thorn in the side for Kenya in recent years.
“We have trained well the past three days and worked on our mistakes witnessed against Tunisia. The team is ready for the Namibia challenge and we are going for maximum points.
“To Kenyans in Harare, welcome to the stadium and for our fans back home, rally behind us because your support is important,” said Maruti.
Namibia kicked off their campaign with a 41-22 win over hosts Zimbabwe and will also be keen to bag their second win.
Hosts Zimbabwe will take on Tunisia in the day’s second fixture at 15:00.
The final round of action is scheduled for Sunday. Namibia will face Tunisia at noon, before a potential tournament decider between Zimbabwe and Kenya at 3:00 pm.
Washington Onyango
| Apr 23, 2025