Kenya Simbas out to end Rugby Africa Cup campaign on a high
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Reading Time: 3min | Sat. 19.07.25. | 09:57
The Simbas began their campaign with a spirited 32-24 quarterfinal win over Uganda, before falling 29-23 to a resilient Zimbabwe Sables side in a tightly contested semifinal clash on Sunday, 13 July
The Kenya Simbas will be aiming to end their 2025 Rugby Africa Cup campaign on a high note when they take on Algeria in the third-place playoff on Saturday, 19 July, at noon.
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The match will serve as a redemption chance for the Jerome Paarwater-coached side, who narrowly missed out on a spot in the final and saw their 2027 Rugby World Cup qualification dreams dashed.
The Simbas began their campaign with a spirited 32-24 quarterfinal win over Uganda, before falling 29-23 to a resilient Zimbabwe Sables side in a tightly contested semifinal clash on Sunday, 13 July.
Algeria, meanwhile, head into the clash buoyed by their emphatic 41-6 win over Ivory Coast, and are no strangers to high-stakes encounters. This marks their third consecutive semifinal appearance.
They also have recent history against Kenya, having denied the Simbas a podium finish in the 2024 edition with a 20-12 win.
Determined to bounce back, Paarwater has overhauled his lineup, making 13 changes to the squad that featured against Zimbabwe.
Among the notable inclusions is centre Samuel Ovwamu, who is set to make his long-awaited Kenya Simbas debut. He will line up alongside John Okoth in midfield.
Brian Tanga returns to the starting lineup at scrum-half, partnering with Brian Wahinya at fly-half.
The back three will feature Derrick Ashihundu, Timothy Omela, and Jone Kubu, with Ashihundu and Kubu being the only two retained from the starting lineup that faced Zimbabwe.
In the forwards, the back row features David Bunduki, Elkeans Musonye, and Obat Kuke. Ibrahim Ayoo and Emmanuel Silungi form the second-row pairing.
The front row sees Vincent Mwikhali earn his first-ever start for the Simbas, alongside Teddy Akala and Edward Mwaura.
Speaking on why he rotated the squad, Paarwater cited fatigue from the boys who played the opening two matches.
The squad from the Uganda match was largely unchanged against Zimbabwe, with only Kabras RFC’s speedster Derrick Ashiundu introduced in the place of Menengai Oilers’ Timothy Omela.
“The players all played. We've seen guys who were in the main team play two games, and they are tired.
We said, even if we were in the final, I would have to make changes because it was important for us to win the two games, which unfortunately, we did not get the points that we wanted against Zimbabwe.
The guys did the hard work, and that is the reason why we held them. We also wanted everybody to play,” Paarwater said.
Despite missing the final, the South African tactician remained optimistic.
“This is the last game for us, and we want to finish this tournament on a high, so we want to win the game,” he concluded.
The bronze medal match between Kenya and Algeria will be the third game on a busy Saturday in Kampala.
The day will kick off at 10:00 a.m. with the seventh-place playoff between Senegal and Morocco, followed by the fifth-place clash between hosts Uganda and Côte d’Ivoire.
The tournament will conclude with a blockbuster final showdown between Namibia and defending champions Zimbabwe.
