- The Kenya Simbas played to a 17-17 stalemate against the SWD Eagles on Tuesday, 3rd June, at Mossel Bay.
- Head coach Jerome Paarwater revealed that adverse weather conditions were a major factor in their shaky start to the international training matches in South Africa.
- The focus now shifts to their second match of the tour on 9th June, where they will face the Junior Boks in Stellenbosch.
Kenya Simbas head coach Jerome Paarwater has revealed that adverse weather conditions were a major factor in their shaky start to their international training matches in South Africa.
The Simbas played to a 17-17 stalemate against the SWD Eagles on Tuesday, 3 June, at Mossel Bay.
Despite the draw, this marked only the second encounter between the Simbas and the Eagles, following their 2022 clash where Kenya suffered a 24-7 defeat.
There was very bad weather conditions at Mossel Bay and after around 20 minutes, SWD Eagles went uncontested in the scrums for safety following an injury. This took a lot from us in terms of our attacking platforms and how we want to play as Simbas,” Paarwater said after the match.
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The South African tactician acknowledged that the team had several promising opportunities and expressed satisfaction with the progress of his players despite the uncooperative weather.
We are just happy with the game time and despite the bad weather, the boys tried to stick to the structure we have put in place. We had quite a-number-of opportunities, but the slippery ball cost us many opportunities and we obviously need to adapt to the cold, rainy and, windy weather as we continue with our preparations,” he added.
With scrummaging not an option for most of the match, the team relied heavily on the lineout maul as their primary set piece.
The focus now shifts to their second match of the tour on 9th June, where they will face the Junior Boks in Stellenbosch.
We look forward to the next challenge on Monday with the SA u20 as we are still testing our combinations to get to the starting 15.” concluded Jerome.
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In the match, debutant Samuel Ovwamu opened the scoring for the Simbas, with Brian Wahinya successfully converting to give Kenya a 7-5 advantage.
The hosts quickly replied with a converted try, making it 12-7, but the Simbas equalized before halftime.
A well-executed lineout allowed the Simbas to form a rolling maul, culminating in a try by captain Griffin Musila that tied the score at 12-12 at the break.
In the second half, the SWD Eagles regained the lead with an unconverted try, taking the score to 17-12.
However, Kenya responded with determination, as Ibrahim Ayoo crossed the whitewash to bring the scores level once again at 17-17.
These international friendlies form a critical part of the Simbas’ intensive preparations for the upcoming Rugby Africa Cup (RAC), a tournament that offers a pathway to qualify directly for the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
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Kenya Simbas South Africa Tour Schedule – June 2025
- Simbas 17-17 SWD Eagles – 3rd June, George
- Simbas vs South Africa U20 – 9th June, Stellenbosch
- Simbas vs South Africa U20 – 14th June, Stellenbosch
- Simbas vs Sanlam Boland – 20th June, Wellington
- Simbas vs Limpopo – 24th June, Limpopo
- Simbas vs Limpopo – 26th June, Limpopo
Kenya Simbas Squad for South Africa Tour
Ephraim Oduor, Edward Mwaura, Eugene Sifuna, Teddy Akala, Brian Juma, Andycole Omolo, Emanuel Silungi, George Nyambua, Patrick Sabatia, Elvis Olukusi, Collins Indeche, Bethuel Anami, Elkeans Musonye, Obat Kuke, Tyson Juma, Vincent Mwikhali, Ibrahim Ayoo, Samuel Asati, Samson Onsomu, Brian Tanga, Barry Young, Brian Wahinya, Griffin Chao, Beldad Ogeta, Walter Okoth, Samuel Ovwamu, Bryceson Adaka, John Okoth, Timothy Omela, Derrick Ashihundu, David Bunduki (Griffons RFC), Thomas Okeyo (Griffons RFC), Hillary Mwanjilwa (under rehabilitation)
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