Simiyu seeks to bolster Kenya 7s defence
What you need to know:
- Kenya Sevens coach wants a water-tight backline when his charges head to Cape Town this weekend
- Simiyu’s men find themselves paired again against France and Japan just a day after registering mixed results against the duo.
Kenya Sevens coach Innocent Simiyu is optimistic of an improved show in the defence and breakdowns when his charges face Olympic champions Fiji at the Cape Town Sevens this weekend.
Simiyu’s men find themselves paired again against France and Japan just a day after registering mixed results against the duo. However, the match to watch is the duel against Fiji in their Pool B. It elicits memories of last year’s Singapore Sevens final which Kenya won 30-7.
Fiji lost to South Africa 26-14 at Dubai Sevens final last weekend. Kenya went down to France 24-14 in their opening match at the same tourney, recovered to edge Japan 17-7 but lost to Australia 17-12 but failed to make the Cup quarters in Dubai.
Simiyu, who named an unchanged side for Cape Town, said the team would have to work on defence besides improving their work rate at their breakdown to avoid losing possession easily.
“We played so well but unfortunately lost at the edge,” said Simiyu. "We need to secure our matches early and avoid mistakes, which got us penalised a lot, especially at the breakdowns,” he said.
Kenya lost to Mike Friday’s USA 21-19 in the Challenge Trophy semi-final. They now share the 11th spot with Argentina, who also lost to Samoa 12-10 in the other Challenge Trophy semi-final.
Cape Town is where Kenya staged their best ever show besides Singapore, finishing fourth after losing to France 28-26 in the play-off for third place.
Kenya had forced a 19-19 draw against England before stunning hosts South Africa 14-12. They would top their pool after nailing Zimbabwe 36-0. A clinical 26-10 victory over USA saw the Kenyans sail through to the Cup semis where they lost 22-24 to Argentina.
Dubai winners South Africa are drawn in Pool A with Australia, USA and Russia.
After an impressive performance in round one, Simon Amor’s England head a tough Pool C which also features New Zealand, Argentina and Canada.
Pool D has Wales, Scotland, Samoa and invitational team Uganda, who are the Africa champions.
