KRU marshals troops for CAR Cup campaign
Kenya’s Joshua Chisanga during a training session at the Barclays Bank Sports Club on Tuesday. The team is preparing for the 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifiers in Antananarivo. PHOTO | CHRIS OMOLO
What you need to know:
- The sevens technical bench, led by head coach Paul Treu, has been supplementing the work of 15s head coach Jerome Paarwater, in a bid to build a team capable of beating Namibia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar in the qualifiers.
- KRU boss Mwangi Muthee said incorporating the sevens bench is meant to prepare the best team that will take Kenya to a historical World Cup.a
With qualification for next year’s Rugby World Cup within reach, the Kenya Rugby Union has beefed up the national 15s team’s technical bench by deploying their 7-a-side counterparts.
The CAR Division 1A Cup kicks off in Antananarivo on Saturday, with Kenya taking on Namibia in the round-robin tournament that will see the winner qualify for the World Cup in England besides being crowned African champions.
The sevens technical bench, led by head coach Paul Treu, has been supplementing the work of 15s head coach Jerome Paarwater, in a bid to build a team capable of beating Namibia, Zimbabwe and Madagascar in the qualifiers.
The two South Africans started working together after the London Sevens, the last leg of the 2013-2014 IRB World Sevens Series.
Attack coach Vuyo Zanqa and strength and conditioning coach Graham Bentz have been assisting as Paarwater fine-tunes his team for the qualifiers.
Team manager Wangila Simiyu welcomed the move. “It has shown the high level of co-operation between the two teams,” Simiyu said. “The team has an obligation to make Kenyans happy by qualifying for the World Cup.”
“Involvement by the sevens bench has boosted player monitoring and management as more focus is placed on individuals. Graham Bentz has also been key in polishing up on the strength and conditioning sector,” Simiyu said Saturday.
The move, Simiyu said, will not be a one off thing, and the same co-operation will be applied to the sevens team whenever it is deemed fit.
“We have a common vision, that is why we are pooling resources together for the World Cup. Players are anxious as they await naming of the final team on Tuesday but they have put in their all. The team we will name will be the best possible,” added Simiyu.
KRU boss Mwangi Muthee said incorporating the sevens bench is meant to prepare the best team that will take Kenya to a historical World Cup.
“Kenya has never been this close to qualifying for the World Cup, and has never had a better chance to do so,” Muthee said.
