NAIROBI, Kenya, July 24 – National Under 20 rugby team captain Michael Wamalwa says their World Under 20 Trophy match against Hong Kong will be an opportunity for them to vent out their rage having lost their first two matches of the tournament.
Wamalwa said they have been preparing well for the encounter, having rectified the weak areas that cost them against Samoa and Spain.
“Indeed, it will be a match for us to heal after losing the first two matches. We need to win it…work on exit kicks. This is one area we struggled with against Spain (especially in the second half). We want to work on them so we can play better against Hong Kong,” the Kenya Commercial Bank RFC player said.
Chipu began their campaign on Saturday with a narrow 34-25 loss to two-time champions Samoa in their opening tie at Nyayo National Stadium.
They then went down 48-18 to Spain in their second Pool B encounter at the same venue on Thursday.
On the other hand, Hong Kong were thrashed 53-0 by the Spaniards in their opening match before going down 30-27 to Samoa on Thursday.
Both teams are out of contention for the top prize but bottom-placed Kenya will be keen to save face on home soil with a win on Tuesday at midday.
Although he admits they are yet to keenly watch their Asian opponents’ performance so far, Wamalwa notes that part of their preparations in the last four days has centered on studying them.
“We have not had opportunity to watch their games extensively and analyse them well, but that is what we have been doing in the current week. Studying them and looking at them keenly so we prepare well for them,” he said.
Despite failing to make it to the main cup knockout stages, Wamalwa feels the two-week event has enlightened them with knowledge of what it takes to make it at the world stage.
“This tournament has been a big opportunity to gain exposure. You can see there has been a huge improvement in the team. From the first match to our tie against Spain, you can see…there are certain aspects of our play that have improved, such as the breakdowns,” Wamalwa explained.
Rallying cry
At the same time, coach Curtis Olago has called upon rugby enthusiasts to keep the faith and rally behind the boys.
“We keep on fighting…we keep the faith. Every match we play is part of the learning curve. The more we are exposed, the more we improve,” Olago said.
The coach has made two changes to the team that began against Spain, bringing in Eddy Wambugu and Alvin Mwamburi.
James Olela starts on the wing as Faran Juma takes control of the fullback position.
Winner of this tie will be in contention for the fifth playoff place on Sunday as the loser battles in the seventh place playoff.
