- Kenya Simbas defeated Uganda 24-32 in the Rugby Africa Cup 2025 on Tuesday, July 8, at Mandela National Stadium in Kampala.
- The win secured them a place in the Main Cup semifinals on Sunday, July 13, where they will face defending champions Zimbabwe.
The men’s national rugby 15s side, Kenya Simbas, survived a spirited challenge from arch-rivals Uganda to secure a 24-32 win in the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup quarterfinals staged at the Mandela National Stadium, advancing to the main cup semifinals of the continental tourney.
As a result, Jerome Paarwater’s men will now face defending champions Zimbabwe in the semifinals on Sunday, July 13, at the same venue.
Kenya nearly made an early breakthrough within the opening minute after a powerful maul but the ball was held up by the Ugandans.
Uganda responded with pressure in the seventh minute, camping in Kenya’s 22. Isaac Munyani chipped a kick down the left wing, where Adrian Kasito contested in the air against Jone Kubu.
Although Uganda was awarded a penalty, Philip Wokorach’s attempt was ruled out as he exceeded the time limit for the kick.
It was a tense opening 20 minutes before Griffin Chao finally broke the deadlock, slicing through Uganda’s defense on the left wing to score Kenya’s first try. Omela, however, missed the conversion, leaving the score at 5-0.
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Six minutes before halftime, Barry Young from Kabras Sugar extended Kenya’s lead with a well-timed run down the right flank, capitalizing on a slick pass from Kubu.
This time, the conversion was successful, giving Kenya a 12-0 advantage.
Just before the break, Uganda reduced the deficit.
Aaron Ofoywoth broke through Kenya’s defense on the left to touch down following a quick restart after an infringement, and Wokorach added the extras to make it 12-7 at halftime.
Kenya resumed the second half with renewed energy. Barry Young struck early with a drop goal, stretching the lead to 15-7.
Wokorach responded with a penalty to bring Uganda within five points at 10-15.
Kenya’s captain George Nyambua powered over the line after a dominant scrum near Uganda’s try area. Kubu converted, pushing the lead to 22-10.
Moments later, Chao completed his brace following a well-executed lineout, assisted by Samuel Asati. Another successful conversion by Kubu made it 29-10.
Kenya Simbas weather late storm
Uganda refused to go down quietly. Wokorach scored and converted a try, trimming the score to 17-29.
A defensive lapse allowed Uganda another try and conversion, narrowing the gap to 24-29 with just nine minutes left.
However, Barry Young delivered the final blow with a clinical drop goal, sealing the Kenya Simbas’ 32–24 triumph and booking their semifinal spot bringing them one step closer to the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia.
A victory against Zimbabwe could see them go on to the finals and increase their hopes of qualifying directly for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, while a second-place finish would secure them a spot in the Asia/Africa playoffs.
2025 Rugby Africa Cup quarterfinal highlights
Defending champions Zimbabwe opened the quarterfinals with a dominant performance, securing their place in the Main Cup semifinals after thrashing two-time champions Morocco 43–8.
In the second quarterfinal of the day, 2024 semifinalists Algeria picked up right where they left off, dismantling Ivory Coast 41–6 to reinforce their status as strong contenders in the tournament.
Meanwhile, Namibia, another tournament favorite, showed no mercy as they booked their semifinal spot with a commanding 55–17 victory over newly promoted Senegal.
Rugby Africa Cup 2025 quarter finals results (8 July)
QF 1: Zimbabwe 43-8 Morocco
QF 2: Algeria 41-6 Cote d’Ivoire
QF 3: Namibia 55-17 Senegal
QF 4: Kenya 32-24 Uganda
Upcoming events: Semifinals (13 July)
Namibia vs Algeria (2PM EAT)
Zimbabwe vs Kenya (4PM EAT)
Final (19 July)
Winner SF 1 vs Winner SF 2