Chipu keen on progress evaluation in repeat clash against Zimbabwe in U20 Trophy

Chipu head coach Curtis Olago is bracing himself for an arguably tough task when his charges take on U20 Barthes Cup defending champions Zimbabwe on Sunday 30 July in the fifth-place final match penciled for Nyayo Stadium.

The two teams are set to face each other again exactly three months after their last encounter on April 30. It will be an exciting rematch with both teams looking to showcase their growth and progress since the last meeting.

Chipu are coming off a 22-16 victory over Hong Kong China, a feat that saw them claim their first 2023 World Rugby U20 Trophy Pool B victory after coming from a 35-24 loss in the hands of Samoa and a 48-18 defeat to Spain.

Zimbabwe, on the other hand, exited the pool stages on a high following a narrow 38-37 win over the junior Americans.

"We are working on our structures. We all know how the game ended. Our expectations as a team is to see an improvement from Barthes Cup in terms of structure, skills, defense, and attack. It is not about results, it is about growth," Olago noted.

The Kenya Simbas assistant coach also praised his boys’ effort after their 22-16 win over Hong Kong China in the last Pool B match played on Tuesday 25 at the Nyayo National Stadium. Mike Oduor scored a brace for the Kenyans, in addition to Kabras RFC's Jacktone Omondi's bullish try that confirmed Chipu's win.

According to Olago, recurring mistakes and conceding late tries in the second half made their task an uphill one. Despite bowing out of contention, Olago was pleased with the boys' tremendous progress.

“Both defensive and attacking structures were meticulously honed, leading to commendable performances throughout the tournament. However, a recurring issue of crumbling in the second half and conceding late tries really haunted us in past encounters.

We took charge early in all our games, scoring first in all the matches. Our vulnerability against physically and skillfully adept opponents made sustaining early leads a challenging feat,” the KCB Rugby coach noted.

Chipu skipper Michael Wamalwa was also pleased with his teammate's maiden victory noting that the exposure was immense.

“Each match provided invaluable exposure as the team grew and learned to meet the demands of this elite level of rugby.

Our newfound defensive sharpness has fortified our resolve to confront Zimbabwe, as we seek redemption from our previous encounter in the Barthes Cup final, where our poor defence proved costly,” the KCB center noted.

It will be the second meeting between Kenya Chipu and Junior Sables this year. Their last meeting on April 30 ended 28-7 in favor of the visitors.

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