- Kenya Simbas defeated Supa Barbarians 27-24 on Tuesday evening at the Nylstroom Rugby Club in their penultimate match of the ongoing South African tour.
- This international friendly is part of the Simbas’ comprehensive build-up to the upcoming 2025 Rugby Africa Cup, which returns to Uganda on Tuesday, July 8, for the second consecutive year.
- The final match of the tour, also against the Supa Barbarians, is scheduled for Thursday, June 26.
The men’s national rugby 15s team, Kenya Simbas, secured a hard-fought 27-24 victory over Supa Barbarians on Tuesday evening at the Nylstroom Rugby Club in their penultimate match of the ongoing South African tour.
This international friendly is part of the Simbas’ thorough build-up to the upcoming 2025 Rugby Africa Cup, which returns to Uganda on Tuesday, July 8, for a second consecutive year.
The tournament winner will earn a direct berth to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia, while the runner-up will enter a global repechage tournament for a final qualification opportunity.
The 33-man squad has been based in South Africa since May 28.
Prior to this clash, they had played four preparatory matches: they opened with a 17-17 stalemate against SWD Eagles, followed by a two-legged series against South Africa U20, losing both encounters, including a 24-42 defeat in the opening leg and 75-19 in the second.
They also faced Sanlam Boland in Wellington on Friday, June 20.
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First Half: Kenya Simbas dominate early
At the Nylstroom Rugby Club Kenya drew first blood through Timothy Omela, who capitalized on a miscue from the Barbarians’ lineout and sprinted to the try line.
Omela converted his own effort to give the Simbas a 7-0 lead.
Patrick Sabatia then added to the tally with a second try, although Omela missed the conversion, extending Kenya’s advantage to 12-0.
The Barbarians replied with a try of their own, narrowing the deficit to 12-5 after a missed conversion.
Just before halftime, the Simbas launched a maul on the left wing after sustained pressure in the opposition’s 22.
Team captain George Nyambua powered over the line to make it 17-5 at the break, although Omela once again missed the conversion.
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Second Half: Supa Barbarians rally late but Simbas hold firm
The second half began with renewed energy from the Barbarians, who capitalized on a defensive lapse to score under the posts, closing the gap to 17-12 after a successful conversion.
Kenya, however, responded as Andycole Omolo bulldozed through the defensive line to register another try, which Omela converted, extending the lead to 24-12.
The Supa Barbarians refused to back down, scoring their third try and converting it to trail narrowly at 24-19.
Omela then slotted a crucial penalty to widen the margin to 27-19. Despite a last-minute try by the hosts, the Simbas held on for a 24-27 victory.
The final match of the tour which is also against the Supa Barbarians, is scheduled for Thursday, June 26.
Then squad will return to Kenya on June 27, followed by a final training camp from July 1–2, before departing for Uganda on July 3 to launch their Rugby World Cup qualification campaign.
Kenya is set to face archrivals and tournament hosts Uganda on Tuesday, July 8, at 4:00 PM (EAT).
Rugby Africa Cup 2025 – Fixtures
MATCH DAY 1 – TUESDAY, JULY 8, 2025 (EAT)
- 10:00 – Zimbabwe vs Morocco
- 12:00 – Madagascar vs Mauritius
- 14:00 – Namibia vs Senegal
- 16:00 – Kenya vs Uganda
MATCH DAY 2 – SUNDAY, JULY 13, 2025 (EAT)
- 10:00 – Loser Match 2 vs Loser Match 3
- 12:00 – Loser Match 1 vs Loser Match 4
- 14:00 – Winner Match 2 vs Winner Match 3
- 16:00 – Winner Match 1 vs Winner Match 4
MATCH DAY 3 – SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2025 (EAT)
- 10:00 – Loser Match 5 vs Loser Match 6 (7th Place Final)
- 12:00 – Winner Match 5 vs Winner Match 6 (5th Place Final)
- 14:00 – Loser Match 7 vs Loser Match 8 (3rd Place Final)
- 16:00 – Winner Match 7 vs Winner Match 8 (Championship Final)