NAIROBI, Kenya, May 25, 2026 – Having steamrolled over Uganda in their Rugby Africa Women’s Cup, Lionesses head coach Simon Odongo is taking no chances against Madagascar, their next opponents at the continental competition.
Odongo admits they will have to impose themselves physically over the Indian Ocean islanders if they are to collect maximum points in Wednesday’s fixture at the RFUEA Grounds.
“Normally, they play very unpredictable. They play with the ball in hand a lot so for us as Kenya, we control what we can. Just making sure we are physical enough because that’s one area that we are good at and making sure we play in the right zones. Even if Madagascar have to have the ball, then we just play them in the right zones and force them into mistakes,” the gaffer explained.
The two sides clash for the umpteenth time, with history favouring the Lionesses insofar as wins are concerned.
The Malagasy’s last victory against Odongo’s charges was at the 2024 Rugby Africa Cup in Antananarivo, where they snatched a shock 29-24 victory.
Their previous other win was a 27-15 triumph in Nairobi in 2021.
Both teams come into Wednesday’s clash against the backdrop of contrasting fortunes in their opening encounters.
Madagascar suffered a hiding at the hands of defending champions South Africa, losing 63-05 at the RFUEA Grounds before Lionesses crushed Uganda 43-10 at the same venue.
Odongo revealed the win was achieved through tactical tweaks, which brought out the strength of every player for the collective good of the team.
The Kenya Harlequin boss promised he would be doing more of the same for subsequent fixtures for Madagascar and South Africa.
“They (Uganda) had the threat of having Peace Likuru so we had to match them with Faith Livoi. She normally plays in the forward, but we moved her to the centre. For Mokaya (Sinaida) and Freshia (Oduor), those are tactical changes because of the way we wanted to play against Uganda,” Odongo said.
He added: “You’ll see also against Madagascar and against South Africa, we’ll have a couple of tactical switches. Depending on how the teams approach the game, we normally have to counter and make sure we put our best players in those positions.”
Another positive note for Odongo ahead of their remaining two matches is the return of Sheila Chajira.
The coach believes the return of the Kenya Harlequin Queens lynchpin couldn’t be any timelier.
“Sheila was in South Africa when the players were in camp so we rotated the squad and made sure she earned her way back into the team. She couldn’t play this week because she just came back on Monday so definitely for the next two games you will see her,” he explained.
