The Kenya national rugby 15s head Coach Paul Odera has named a 38-man Simba's training squad in preparation for the RWC 2023 final qualification tournament.
The RWC 2023 final qualification tournament is taking place in Dubai from November 6 to November 16, 2022.
Winger Derrick Ashiundu and prop Ian Njenga are the names missing from the squad and are recovering from long-term injuries.
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The new names included in the squad are Homeboyz youngster Amon Wamalwa, Quins prop Melvin Thairu and KCB’s Geoffrey Okwach.
Speaking to KRU Media, Odera noted that with the team being together at the camp they will review how the rugby final in July went down.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for Simbas to start preparations for the Repechage. It’s going to be a harder competition than the World Cup qualifiers in France if it is to be believed, but it will be a lot harder.
“The camp this weekend is an excellent opportunity to have a review on how the Rugby Africa Cup final went in July 2022 and draw a line and move forward," Odera noted.
Odera noted that the camp will also help them look at players' level of fitness which the coaching staff will build from.
The Simbas coach also noted that this time was different compared to October 2021 when they travelled to South Africa for the Currie Cup and the World Cup qualifiers.
"The good thing about the session is that we have a good foundation from October last year when we went to South Africa, then participated in the Currie Cup and the World Cup qualifiers. We’ve had a consistent team, so we are starting from a good base," Odera added.
The Kenya 15s rugby team missed out on direct qualification to the 2023 Rugby World Cup after finishing as runners-up to Namibia in the Rugby Africa Cup final in July 2022.
Kenya together with the USA, Portugal and Hong Kong will face each other in round robin format with the team with the most points securing the last spot at the France 2023 Rugby World Cup.
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