Barthes Cup: Chipu bank on home advantage against Namibia

Kenya Under 20 rugby side, Chipu have a fiendish clash against Namibia in the semi-finals of the Barthes Cup with coach Kevin Wambua hoping to bank on home advantage in the clash.

Chipu punched a ticket to the semi-finals of the competition with an emphatic 54-20 win over Uganda in the quarters to set up an interesting tie in the semis.

Namibia on the other hand were the biggest winners of Day One after putting the sword to Ivory Coast with a 62-0 whitewash in the tournament opener.

Wambua admitted that the tie will not be a walk in the park as he termed it as a final before a final and hopes that playing at home will hand them an upper hand.

“It's tough but like we always say, we take a game at a time, we have to get out plan right for Namibia, it's a big semi-final, it's like a final before a final. We are ready for it, we just have to make a few tactical and technical changes and just play our hearts out, playing at home is an advantage for us so we just want to maximize on that,” said Wambua.

Chipu beat Namibia in the 2019 final of the Barthes Cup 21-18 and will be hoping for a similar result when the two nations lock horns on Wednesday 13 April at the Nyayo National Stadium in a 2 PM kick-off.

With the game expected to be of tight margins, Wambua emphasized the importance of cutting errors and playing in Namibia’s red zone.

“We need to reduce our errors and make sure we are playing in the right zones," said the coach who also doubles up as the Mwamba RFC head coach.