Rugby World Cup Q: Ruthless Kenya thwack noisy Uganda to book semis ticket

Kenya Simbas wiped the floor with neighbors Uganda after whitewashing them 42-7 in the 2023 Rugby World Cup qualifiers to punch a ticket to the semi-finals where they are set to face the winner between Zimbabwe and Senegal.

Simbas who have been in impeccable form winning their last two Currie Cup First Division matches against Leopards and Eastern Province Elephants posted a strong start to the game with John Okoth needing just two minutes to cross the whitewash with Darwin Mukidza adding the extras.

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Kenya who were having a frenetic start to the game grabbed their second try of the game when Thomas Okeyo profited from a Malcolm Onsando offload before showing a clean pair of heels and touching down between the sticks as Mukidza was again perfect from his boots for a 14-0 lead.

Paul Odera’s charges saw two tries chalked off with the first due to a forward pass from Mukidza to Collins Injera with the Kenya 7s all-time leading try-scorer touching down. Jacob Ojee also saw his try waved away after a knock-on in the build-up to the try.

Uganda had absolutely no answers for whatever Kenya were throwing at them as scrum-half Samuel Asati’s quick thinking finally birthed Simbas’s third try as he picked the ball from a ruck just a meter from the line to register a try of his own.

Simbas went into the halftime break with a commanding 28-0 lead after Asati who was having an impeccable game fed Bethuel Anami who ploughed through the try line using his sheer strength with Mukidza making it four from four kicks.

Kenya picked up from where they left from in the second half as John Okoth got his second of the game after finding an angle and silenced through the Uganda defence before touching down the ball with the extras from Mukidza making it 35-0.

Second-half replacement, Teddy Akala piled more misery on Uganda as he charged over the try line after some brilliant scrummaging from Simbas with Jone Kubu who had come on two minutes earlier adding the two points.

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After 70 minutes with nothing on the scoreboard, Jacob Ochen prevented a shutout from Kenya by grabbing a try after picking the ball from the base of the ruck to slot the ball home.

Simbas managed the game in the final 20 minutes as they held on for a 42-7 win as they cruise to the semi-finals.