Carlos Katywa reveals Kenya Simbas' plans after Elgon Cup victory
Reading Time: 2min | Thu. 21.11.24. | 15:02
Their impressive performance saw the Simbas move to 33rd on the World Rugby rankings
Kenya Simbas assistant coach Carlos Katywa has outlined the team’s plans after an exciting Elgon Cup where they secured back-to-back victories against Uganda.
The Kenya national men's rugby 15s aide edged rivals Uganda Cranes 27-25 in the opening leg played on Saturday 16 November at the RFUEA Grounds before thumping them 21-5 in the return leg played on Saturday 23 November in Uganda.
The victory saw Kenya Simbas secure a 48-30 aggregate win over the Cranes.
The South African tactician emphasizes the importance of stability within the squad as he outlined Simbas' plan.
“We have invested heavily in this group. Bringing in new players now would require months of adjustment. Our focus is on fine-tuning the team with friendlies and camps,” he revealed.
Reflecting on the matches, the Kabras RFC tactician explained how the Simbas adjusted to Uganda's strategy.
"Coming into the game, we knew they would play the same game and try to contain us in our lineouts and scrums, so we looked for different areas to attack, and I think it worked very well in the first half," he said.
Despite this, the Simbas could not close out the first leg early due to unforced errors.
"Our decision-making was lacking. It’s quite early in the season, so some of our boys were still in off-season and pre-season mode. It’s not an excuse, but there was a lot of comedy of errors during the match," the gaffer continued.
The impressive performance saw the Simbas climb to 33rd on the World Rugby rankings.
Their opponents Uganda dropped to 37th place.
Another big gainer in the world ranking is the USA, which made significant progress, rising three spots to 16th after their 21-17 victory over Portugal in Coimbra.
Portugal, who secured a spot in the 2023 Rugby World Cup at the expense of the Eagles, is just ahead in 15th place.
Spain achieved a notable 32-24 victory against Uruguay at home, climbing one position to 17th, while Uruguay fell two spots to 19th.
Tonga also dropped two ranks to 18th after losing 25-15 to Romania in Bucharest. Romania's win improved their rating by 1.25 points, but they remained in 20th place.
