Time for vanquished Kenya Simbas to answer critics

What you need to know:

  • Its high time Kerre embraces his new role and plays to his full potential.
  • This is the game that Simbas will have to win beautifully and comprehensively to bat away any lingering doubt on their ability to mount serious challenge during next year’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers.

Kenya Simbas kicked off their 2017 season on a wrong footing, with only a win in three matches.

Pressure is now mounting on Jerome Paawarter’s charges with rugby lovers and stakeholders questioning whether the team is heading in the right direction.

Having gone for four years without tasting defeat at home, with Simbas last home defeat being a narrow 17-16 loss to Uganda Cranes in June 2013, the Kenyans have failed to register a single win at home this year.

This Test season has seen Simbas falter, sometimes just wandering in the park and not knowing what to do.

They seem to lack any game plan and more often, it has been the brilliance of stand-in captain Darwin Mukidza that has saved us some embarrassing moments.

Our famed and feared backline has been muted. They were kept quiet by a more technical German defence in the first Test and were bullied by bigger and stronger Ugandans in the subsequent matches.

Whilst the forwards were no match for the Europeans in May, surprisingly and unexpectedly, they dominated the Cranes in the two-legged Elgon Cup last month.

The lackluster performance against cranes in the second leg of the Elgon Cup, which also served as the opening match for the Africa Gold Cup which ended 33-33, left Kenyans puzzled whether the Simbas will rise up and be counted against Tunisia on Saturday.

I’m positive they will be not only rise to the occasion but totally thrash the North Africans and regain our respect in the Gold Cup.

The two teams have played one match each in the Gold Cup, Kenya getting a 33-33 draw against Uganda while the Tunisians were thrashed 53-7 by Namibia.

Tunisia looked solid in the opening minutes taking the fight to the Namibians. However, Namibia were able to outfox them in close quarter battles, particularly in the set pieces. The North Africans were unable to deal to compete in the scrums and line outs, an aspect of the game that Simba have perfected in the last couple of seasons.

MADE CHANGES

Paarwater has made a few changes to his charges, some tactical while others have been forced by injuries. The inclusion of Leo Seje at inside centre in place of Patrice Agunda might be the spark that Simbas need to get their midfield play ticking again.

Seje is a strong runner and skilful with the ball who will most likely break the first line of Tunisia’s defence. His opponent, Dahnoul Badia had little or nothing to do in the last game and this is a channel that Simba should exploit. It will be interesting to see how Seje will combine with first five-eighths Isaac Adimo and David Ambunya, the outside centre.

Gmir Sabri, the Tunisian captain, loves to play positive rugby and will be willing to Test the Kenyan defence at every opportunity. As was the case in the Uganda match, Simbas backline was always put under pressure by high balls. They should therefore ensure that Sabri and flyhalf Benaicha Sofien are put under pressure and do not make any troubling kicks.

Up front, the combination of Moses Amusala, Peter Karia and Dennis Karani have demonstrated that they can match up to any front row, well at least on the continent.

They would have no problem dealing with the Tunisians who kept on backpedaling during scrums in their last match. The return of skipper Wilson K’Opondo is a major boost in the second row where he will pair up with Kabras Sugar’s George Nyambua. Oliver Mang’eni is away on compassionate leave while Simon Muniafu is yet to recover from neck injury.

Simbas’ biggest problem has been the backrow where Paarwater used Martin Owila at number eight in the first two matches before dropping him for the third game.

The wing forwards combination of Davis Chenge and Eric Kerre has not asserted themselves fully in matches and they have been found wanting in some instances.

Its high time Kerre embraces his new role and plays to his full potential. We all know that he’s not a natural backrow but the head coach has decided that’s where he’s more useful than at the locks. This is the time he has to repay the faith Paarwater has in him.

This is the game that Simbas will have to win beautifully and comprehensively to bat away any lingering doubt on their ability to mount serious challenge during next year’s Rugby World Cup qualifiers. My prediction is Kenya will win with a margin of +40.