Preview Namibia v Kenya
Kenya are on the road against current champions Namibia in Windhoekthis Saturdayin what is essentially the championship decider between the top 2 teams in the competition.
Namibia have won this fixture by scores of 56 - 21 and 46 - 13 in the last 2 years, and the reigning champions being at home ; plus their superior winning record over the East Africans, are overwhelming favourites to retain the title they have dominated for years.
However, Kenya are coming off a very good win against Zimbabwe at Hartsfield in Bulawayo and will feel that there is an opportunity to upset the odds.
Their forwards reigned supreme at Hartsfield and this is where they have to hinge their game plan on.
They have able ball carriers, particularly their explosive number 8 Joshua Chisanga, who is some athlete ! These carriers will need to be on top of their game to win the gain line battle and provide momentum for the team.
Namibia also had a good outing in Kampala beating Uganda 48 - 24.
This season they have shown to be very adaptable in their play when it calls for it and this was proven in probably their toughest game to date against Zimbabwe 2 weeks ago.
A vast majority of the public consider them lucky to have won that game, but on careful analysis, the victory shows a canny ability to absorb pressure for long periods and then pounce when the opposition tires or makes mistakes, something that is synonymous with that team in black from New Zealand.
Indeed that the Namibians have weaknesses and limitations in their game is no secret. They often lapse and drop their guard especially against a forward oriented onslaught but their superior conditioning seems to almost always bail them out in the closing minutes of the game. Last week they scored 14 unanswered points in the last 7 minutes of the game which means Kenya will need a full 80 minute performance to counter this surge.
To win the Rugby Africa Gold Cup Namibia : must win the game, draw or lose with a losing bonus point if Kenya doesn’t score a try bonus point while Kenya : must win the game without Namibia scoring a losing bonus point or win the game with a try bonus point – even if Namibia scores a losing bonus point.
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Rugby Africa (www.RugbyAfrique.com) is the governing body of rugby in Africa and one of the regional associations under World Rugby. It unites all African countries that play rugby union, rugby sevens, and women’s rugby. Rugby Africa organizes various competitions, including the qualifying tournaments for the Rugby World Cup and the Africa Sevens, a qualifying competition for the Olympic Games. With 39 member unions, Rugby Africa is dedicated to promoting and developing rugby across the continent. World Rugby highlighted Ghana, Nigeria and Zambia as three of the six emerging nations experiencing strong growth in rugby.
