Kenya Simbas fall to Algeria in third-place Playoff
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Reading Time: 2min | Sat. 19.07.25. | 17:19
It was a rematch of last year’s playoff where Algeria edged Kenya 20-12
Kenya Simbas' hopes of finishing the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup on a high came crashing down on Saturday 19 July after a frustrating 15-5 defeat to Algeria in the third-place playoff at the Nelson Mandela Stadium in Kampala.
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It was a rematch of last year’s playoff where Algeria edged Kenya 20-12.
The Simbas once again failed to find answers against their North African opponents, this time delivering an uninspired performance that left fans disheartened.
It was Algeria who struck first after a misjudged kick by Brian Wahinya fell straight into the hands of Benjamin Caminati, who sliced through Kenya’s shaky defense to score the opening try.
The conversion attempt was off target.
Kenya quickly responded in the 9th minute with a well-executed lineout and maul, leading to a try that briefly lifted the spirits of the Simbas camp.
However, just like Algeria, the conversion was missed.
Algeria then reclaimed the lead after Kamil Bouregba powered over from a lineout, punishing Kenya with a converted try that put the North Africans ahead 12-5 going into the first water break.
As torrential rain pounded the stadium and fans fled the drenched stands, Kenya failed to capitalize on a critical moment when Algeria were down to 13 men due to infringements.
Despite their numerical advantage, the Simbas lacked the structure and urgency needed to make it count.
At halftime, Kenya trailed 12-5, and the second half offered little to inspire hope.
Head coach Jerome Paarwater rang the changes in the 45th minute, introducing Eugene Sifuna, Wilhite Mususi, Andycolle Omollo, Thomas Okeyo, Samuel Asati, Barry Young, and Walter Okoth.
But even with the injection of fresh legs, the Simbas struggled to find rhythm or momentum.
Algeria sealed the result with a drop goal in the 71st minute, stretching the lead to 15-5.
Kenya, on the other hand, failed to register a single point in the second half.
With only minutes left, the Simbas looked devoid of ideas, direction, or fighting spirit, leaving fans and critics alike disappointed with the team’s lack of urgency and execution on the continental stage.
Earlier in the day, the fifth-place final delivered an absolute thriller as Senegal outlasted Morocco 33-28 in sudden death extra time.
Mamodou Ndiaye’s golden try in the 108th minute wrapped up a pulsating contest that had seen both teams trade leads in a see-saw battle.
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