Wambua Plots For Dubai

Oct 26 • General News, International • 1472 Views • Comments Off on Wambua Plots For Dubai

The Kenya Lionesses return to the Dubai Sevens looking to better their showing last season when they won the International Invitational Women’s category bowl title with a 12-10 win over the West Coast Vikings Ladies.

The side who were Africa’s sole representatives in the women’s rugby competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil also finished second at the recent Africa Cup Women’s Sevens in Zimbabwe, falling to a narrow 17-21 loss to South Africa in the championship match.

Head Coach Kevin Wambua, speaking to Kenya Rugby after the side resumed training for their annual pilgrimage to Dubai, said, “The plan, coming back from the month’s break is to get our players back in the right shape in terms of fitness and conditioning as well as incorporate skillset development such as passing, tackling and contact.”

Talking about the three new call ups to the Lionesses training squad in the form of Ashley Awuor, Sarah Oluche and Ann Njeri, Wambua said, “They are exciting players with potential and are part and parcel of our development plans. We will have our Conditioning Coach work with them specifically to improve their strength as I fine tune their skills and game understanding. They bring depth to the team and will give us more options and quality in future assignments.”

Commenting on his expectations of the Dubai tournament, Wambua said, “We want to generate continuity from our last assignment in Harare where we finished second. Dubai has been competitive over the years. We have seen most of the non-core world teams use it as a platform to develop their squads and catch World Rugby’s eye for an invitation to a leg of the Women’s Sevens World Series. It will be important for us to get our patterns right and post some good results to catch the attention of World Rugby too.”

“My long term plan is to develop as many players as I can and ensure quality in terms of players and structure of play, and of course also try to get our girls into the 2018 Women’s Sevens World Series via the qualification tournament as well as the Rugby World Cup Sevens in 2018. It would be a big plus if we can qualify and post some good results there,” he concluded.

Quins Eye Kenya Cup Success

With the start of the new Kenya Cup season looming large, Kenya Harlequin Head Coach Joel Ng’ang’a expects a competitive campaign

Speaking to kenyacup.co.ke, the former Quins and Simbas skipper said, “This season will be very competitive as most teams have put in a lot of resources (time, money, coaches) into their preparations. There is a better understanding of the game in terms of structured play both offensively and defensively in most teams as seen in the sevens circuit and Floodies.”

Quins scrumhalfLyle Asiligwa tees up for goal in previous action/Photo/Odd Shaped Balls Kenya

Ng’ang’a also touched on his side’s preparations, saying, “Our Conditioning Coach Stephan Ottou has been great with the boys, getting them fit and strong. He has worked with the 15s side for 3 months. Having them in shape has made it easier for us to concentrate on improving our set pieces.”

“We have been building on playing an expansive game for the last two seasons and this season will be our breakthrough. We may have come short of our goal of winning the Floodlit but we are focused on lifting the Kenya Cup & Enterprise Cup crowns. We have put in a lot of time and emphasis on our basics in order to make it work,” he added.

With Kenya U19 international Roxy Suchi has joining from Kabras Sugar, the experienced Jared Owinyo returning from the Strathmore Leos, and Isaac Adimo once again available after being tied down by work commitments last season, Ng’ang’a said, “Roxy and Jared will fire up our forwards. Isaac Adimo is now back in Nairobi and will feature as he is now fit to play. The control he brings at number 10 is key for us. Quins will be something to watch out for, as individuals and as a team.”

Quins start their campaign with a home clash against Blak Blad at the RFUEA Ground on Saturday 5 November 2016. Get the full fixtures at http://kenyacup.co.ke/upcoming