Chipu head coach Olago outlines critical steps to be taken in junior team development

Curtis Olago, head coach of the junior men’s national rugby 15s side Kenya Chipu, has called for ideal strategies to be put in place going forward to help the team in its performance at tournaments such as the just concluded World Rugby U20 Trophy that took place at the Nyayo National Stadium from 15 to 30 July 2023.

A fast-assembled Kenya Chipu side managed a sixth placed finish in the eight-team tournament after suffering a heavy 64-10 defeat at the hands of African rivals Zimbabwe in the 5/6th place playoff.

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Pooled in Group B, Chipu only managed a 22-16 win over Hong China as they lost 34-25 against Samoa and 48-18 against eventual champions Spain in the other two group matches, leaving them to settle for the position playoff match against the Junior Sables from Zimbabwe.

Making his reflections after the tournament, Olago, who is also the head coach of Kenya Cup side KCB RFC, could not emphasize enough the importance of making early preparations in order to get the team upto speed for outings against teams that prepare adequately beforehand.

“To play a tournament of this magnitude we have to prepare well. It is not a matter of preparing for two weeks, three weeks or even a month. Things like selection process has to have some structure like tracking the talents. But after participating at this level, we now know how far we have to come and how hard we need to work,” the four-time Kenya Cup winner said.

“Our suggestion would be to prepare really well, put in resources and to get in some good competitions before such competitions. For us, our first competition was against Samoa in the U20 Trophy opener and you saw how we truly could not match the physicality because we went into the competition without any game, so we need to start earlier,” he said.

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The head coach also called on the newly elected governing body to dwell on unearthing talent from an early age and to focus on having the young kids given a proper foundation to help them well into their careers.

“It begins with identifying and nurturing young talent, ensuring they receive the right coaching and exposure. It is about building a strong foundation for the future of Kenyan rugby. We must have specialized training in lineout, attacking lineout, defensive lineout, effective scrummaging and zone clarity,” he concluded.

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