Simbas lie in wait for Senegalese lads at RFUEA

Kenya Simbas will be looking to build on their record-setting 100-10 win over Tunisia last weekend when they take on Senegal on Saturday in Africa Gold Cup match at RFUEA grounds, Nairobi, from 2pm.

Simbas swept away a hapless Tunisian side last weekend, running in 15 tries and conceding two. At the same time, Senegal were being shredded to pieces by Namibia in Windhoek, where they lost 95-0.

The two teams will approach Saturday’s match with different goals. A win for Kenya will push them to the summit of the six-team championship, at least for a week.

For the Lions of Teranga, they badly need a win to secure their place in Gold Cup and a loss in today’s tie will mean that they’ll be relegated back to Silver Cup next year.

Kenya’s head coach Jerome Paarwater has made one change to last week’s team, bringing in Impala Saracen’s Simon Muniafu in the second row in place of George Nyambua.

Muniafu will partner skipper Wilson K’Opondo in the boiler room. K’Opondo has been impressive in the two Tests he has played and his absence was noticeable in the two-leg Elgon Cup match against Uganda.

Paarwater has however kept faith with the backline, leaving Kenya Harlequin inside centre Patrice Agunda out in favour of creative Leo Seje who continues his partnership with David Ambunya on the outside, with Isaac Adimo at five-eighths. Sam Onsomu continues to cement his place as the preferred number nine for Simbas.

Up front, Moses Amusala will team up with Dennis Karani and hooker Peter Karia as Simbas aim to destroy Senegal’s scrums.

Eric Kerre will again be called upon to continue playing on the flank as opposed to his favoured second row position. He will team up with KCB’s Davis Chenge, who has also been impressive on the open side of the scrum, and Newcastle Falcons star Joshua Chisanga.

Paarwater is however wary of the threat posed by the West Africans and has called on his charges to avoid complacency.

The only time the two teams have faced each before other was in 2009 in the defunct CAR 1A Cup where Kenya won 22-9.

The two teams meet today in contrasting fashion. Whereas Kenya has scaled the heights winning the top African tourney twice, Senegal have been relegated to the third division before making their way back. 

The Senegalese are expected to make use of their big forwards and try dominate the Kenyans in the close quarter battles. They employed the tactic against Zimbabwe in Dakar, scoring two tries off with forwards plays.