Kenya Chipu revved up for Tunisia challenge
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 24.04.24. | 11:28
The youngsters take on Tunisia this afternoon in what will be their second fixture in the ongoing Barthes Cup
The Kenya U20 national rugby team, Chipu, has beefed up preparations ahead of their second Barthes Cup fixture in the ongoing Rugby Africa U20 Barthes Trophy in Harare, Zimbabwe. They will lock horns with Tunisia from 3PM EAT.
The team is coming off a 34-28 victory over Namibia in their opening match. Their opponents, Tunisia, lost 46-21 to Zimbabwe in their opening match.
As part of their preparations, the team's coach, Simon Jawichre, has made three changes to the squad.
Wycliffe Ogutu, Brian Kiptanui, and Clein Okumbi make their debuts in the tournament.
Okumbi will slot into the second row alongside Eugene Etale, with Andy Cole Omollo moving to the back row to start as the open-side flanker.
He will join captain Edmond Omondi and Iddo Kuta in the back row, while Nathan Tsindoli moves to the bench.
Geylord Ngasi makes way for Wycliffe Ogutu in the front row, where Darrel Olouch and Bramwel Anekea will maintain their positions.
Brian Kiptanui replaces Eugene Ojiambo among the backs, forcing James Olela to shift to full-back.
Speaking ahead of the match, coach Jawichre noted that the team was doing their best despite the insufficient preparation. The week was spent in the camp and we did not play enough friendly matches as a build-up to the tournament.
"Our game against Namibia was a grind and depicts the challenges we have had in preparation. The advantage we have is that the bunch of boys are very positive and confident, although we have to keep streamlining our set pieces and defence setup. Suffice it to say the Namibia match was their very first match this year; we never even had a friendly,” Jawichre offered.
Chipu will conclude their campaign against hosts and defending champions Zimbabwe on Sunday at 6PM local time.
The tournament features four teams: Zimbabwe, Namibia, Kenya, and Tunisia, all competing on a round-robin basis. The team with the highest points tally after three rounds of matches will determine the eventual winner.
Kenya currently holds the second position with five points, level with Zimbabwe. Namibia occupies the third spot with two points, while Tunisia has yet to secure any points.
Chipu squad for the Tunisian challenge
1. Darrel Olouch; 2. Bramwel Anekea; 3. Wycliffe Ogutu; 4. Eugene Etale 5.Clein Okumbi, 6.Edmond Omondi, 7. Andycole Omolo 8. Iddo Kuta, 9. Patrick Wainana, 10. Jackson Siketi, 11. Alvin Khavoli, 12. Michael Wamalwa 13. Daniel Kipchirchir, 14.Brian Kiptanui, 15.James Olela
Replacements: Brian Shile, Geylord Ngasi, Ian Nyandusi, Nathan Tsindoli, Willy Tino, Benadict Muiruri, Faran Juma, and Philip Okeyo
