Lionesses head coach outlines areas of improvement heading to HSBC SVNS 2
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 19.03.26. | 14:36
In Montevideo, the Lionesses will open their campaign against China, Argentina, and Spain on Saturday, before facing South Africa and Brazil on the final day
Kenya Lionesses head coach Simon Odongo has outlined key areas his side must improve on as they head into the crucial second and third legs of the HSBC SVNS 2 in South America.
The squad will be looking to register improved performances when they jet out to Montevideo, Uruguay, for the second leg scheduled for Saturday, 21 to Sunday, 22, before the series concludes in São Paulo, Brazil, from Saturday, 28 to Sunday, 29 March.
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The Lionesses finished the opening leg of the HSBC SVNS 2 in fifth position and will be seeking to improve their performance with promotion to the main series firmly in sight.
They endured a tough outing in the six-team competition held in Nairobi last month, finishing fifth overall with five points. Kenya began brightly, narrowly edging out Brazil 15-12 to register their only win of the tournament.
They then suffered a 15-12 defeat to China before falling 12-10 to South Africa in another tightly contested encounter. A narrow 5-0 loss to Argentina followed, before the Lionesses wrapped up their campaign with a 14-5 defeat to Spain.
Reflecting on the Nairobi outing, Odongo pointed to execution and decision-making as the biggest areas of concern.
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“Over the past three weeks, one of the key areas we have focused on is execution. Our decision-making was not good enough during the Nairobi leg.
There were moments when we went off script and away from our system, and we were punished for it. We have worked on correcting those areas, and Montevideo will be the real test of how well we have improved,” he said.
Despite the setbacks, Odongo remained confident in his squad’s ability to bounce back, even giving them an emphatic vote of confidence.
“On a scale of 1 to 10, I would rate the Lionesses at 11. This is a team that has been in such situations before and delivered,” he offered.
The tactician drew parallels with last year’s campaign in Los Angeles, where the Lionesses showed resilience to secure their place in the 2026 SVNS Division II.
After heavy defeats to Spain (33-14) and Brazil (28-10) in the pool stages, Kenya regrouped to beat Colombia 7-5 and later stunned South Africa 17-14 in the playoff final.
“We were just reminding the players about Los Angeles, where we lost all our games on day one but picked ourselves up on day two and still qualified for the HSBC SVNS 2 after wins against Colombia and South Africa,” Odongo noted.
“It is a similar scenario now. We fell short in the first leg and finished fifth overall. The players understand what is expected of them, and we have the quality to rise to the occasion,” he continued.
In Montevideo, the Lionesses will open their campaign against China, Argentina, and Spain on Saturday, before facing South Africa and Brazil on the final day.