Breaking News: At least 10 feared to have drowned in Makueni river
Ian Minjire makes the cut ahead of Elgon Cup showdown
Ian Minjire (left) turning out for Kenya Sevens together with Daniel Koech last year. Minjire was named in the Kenya Simbas squad on July 28, 2016.
What you need to know:
- Coach Paarwater shuffles squad with an eye on upcoming Hong Kong Test
- Minjire, 23, who has been knocking on the national 15s door for the last three years, is part of the 23-man outfit revealed on Thursday by team manager Wangila Simiyu.
- The eagerly awaited fixture will also double up as the second leg of the annual Elgon Cup.
Impala right winger Ian Minjire is well in line to earn his maiden international cap after he was named in the Kenya Simbas squad to take on Uganda Cranes in their Africa Rugby Cup Division 1A clash on Saturday at Rugby Football Union of East Africa ground.
Minjire, 23, who has been knocking on the national 15s door for the last three years, is part of the 23-man outfit revealed on Thursday by team manager Wangila Simiyu.
The eagerly awaited fixture will also double up as the second leg of the annual Elgon Cup.
The lanky and youthful Minjire, who also operates at fullback, is known for his speed, big hits and ball handling skills.
It will be interesting to see how Kenya Simbas coach Jerome Paarwater’s fields him as he looks to bounce back from the 21-56 defeat at the hands of Namibia two weeks ago.
Minjire replaces Kenya Commercial Bank’s impressive Darwin Mukidza, who has been rested ahead of the tough looking upcoming test match against Hong Kong.
Five players will be making a comeback after missing the Africa Rugby Cup Division 1A outings against Zimbabwe and Namibia in Harare and Windhoek respectively.
They are KCB locks Ronnie Mwenesi and Oliver Mang’eni, Impala fly half Nato Simiyu, scrum half Lyle Asiligwa and centre Patrice Agunda all from Kenya Harlequin.
All will start save for Asiligwa, who will come off the bench.
“Minjire’s hard work has finally paid of and it will be exciting to see how he operates on the wing alongside Agunda,” said Simiyu.
Those who will not feature after making the Harare and Windhoek tours are Mukidza, lock Eric Kerre (Impala), back row Dan Sikuta (Mwamba), scrum half Kevin Masai (Homeboyz) and centre Fabian Olando (Kabras Sugar).
Also present were Yvonne Namai from SportsPesa, who are one of the team’s sponsors and national squads’ director Oscar Mango.
SportPesa announced match bonuses for each player ranging from $100 (Sh10,000) to $1,000 (Sh100,000). The bonuses will be backdated to cover their last four away matches.
