Kenya Lionesses count losses after humbling defeat against South Africa

Kenya Lionesses head coach Dennis Mwanja has decried the team’s ill preparation and the gulf in class between them and South Africa as the main reason behind their 48-0 loss against the Springbok Women in the ongoing 2023 Rugby Africa Women’s Cup taking place in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Eight tries from the South Africans ended Kenya’s ambitions of finishing top of the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup First Division competition consequently ensuring that the Lionesses cannot claim a slot to the World Rugby WXV second tier competition reserved for the winner of the tourney.

Speaking after the side’s match day two loss on Wednesday, the former international just fell short of claiming the Lionesses were not adequately prepared for the competition compared to South, who were always going to be their biggest challengers for the winner’s ticket.

“We gave away very easy tries in that first half. The experience of South Africa, going for the World Cup and the European Tour, clearly made them a different level than us. We believe the build-up matches would have really made a big difference for us,” he is quoted by KRU media.

“We have really learnt a lot from this game. There is really no shortcut to experience,” he concluded.

The Lionesses began their campaign with a 29-20 win over hosts Madagascar on Saturday and must now defeat Cameroon in Sunday’s final round of matches to finish second that will guarantee them a ticket to the WXV third tier competition.

South Africa need just one point from their final Rugby Africa Women’s Cup Division 1 2023 match to claim the title and book their place in WXV 2.