Injured Ambaka out of national squad for Cup

French National Rugby League side Lyon Olympique’s winger William “Lomu” Ambaka is among six players dropped from the national rugby team that leaves Wednesday for the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Madagascar.

Kenya starts her campaign against three times Africa RWC representatives Namibia on Saturday. The team has 15 forwards and 11 backs. Also in the fray are host Madagascar and Zimbabwe.

Head coach Jerome Paawater said he was forced to drop the 23-year-old Kenya Sevens player due to an injury he picked in Nanyuki last week.

Ambaka propelled his LOU team to a bonus-point 31-13 defeat of Tarbes in April to earn promotion to the Top 14 French National Rugby League.

The qualifiers in Antananarivo will double up as Confederation of African Rugby Division 1A Championship also known as Africa Cup.

“It’s a big blow to my campaign losing a player of such calibre,” Paarwater said after naming his final squad of 26 players that also includes eight Kenya Sevens players. “Ambaka will be out for at least two weeks but this is rugby and anything can happen.”

Others dropped are Ronnie Mwenesi, Leonard Mugaisi, Isaac Adimo and Emmanuel Mavala. Former sevens skippers Humphrey Kayange and Andrew Amonde are in the squad.

Paarwater, who acknowledged having faced a challenge in selecting the final squad, noted that he deliberately slotted more forwards after the experience he had in Madagascar last year.

Kenya beat Zimbabwe 29-17 in the final to reclaim the Africa Cup in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

Paarwater named the team in Nairobi in the presence of Sports Cabinet Secretary Hassan Wario, Kenya Rugby Union chairman Mwangi Muthee and the team sponsor, Kenya Breweries managing director Joe Muganda.

Paawater noted that the battle is tough upfront and forwards are the players who do much of the work. “That t is why we beefed up and conditioned upfront when we went for the Vodacom Cup,” said Paarwater.