How Kenya U20 outwit Namibia to win Barthes Trophy opener

Kenya's U20 rugby team, known as Chipu, began their Rugby Africa U20 Barthes Trophy campaign with a nail-biting 34-28 win over Namibia in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Saturday, April 20, 2024.

The match featured a back-and-forth contest with both sides exchanging early penalties, setting the tone for a thrilling encounter.

Kenya U20 control

Namibia's Petrus Tromp opened the scoring with a penalty, but Kenya's Patrick Wainaina quickly leveled the score, leaving the teams tied at 3-3.

Michael Wamalwa then scored the first try of the match, giving Chipu an 8-3 advantage.

Kenya's backs combined for a brilliant passing sequence that resulted in a try for Eugene Etale, with James Olela successfully converting to make it 15-3.

Tromp narrowed the gap with a second penalty, but Eugene Ojiambo's opportunistic try and another successful conversion from Olela stretched Chipu's lead to 20-6.

Olela added a penalty just before halftime, giving Chipu a comfortable 23-6 lead heading into the break.

Namibia began to mount a comeback in the second half, scoring an unconverted try to make it 23-11. Olela added yet another penalty for Kenya, extending the lead to 26-11.

However, Namibia fought back with two consecutive tries, closing the gap to 26-23.

With pressure mounting, Olela's penalty gave Chipu some breathing room, making it 29-23, but Namibia scored another unconverted try, reducing Chipu's lead to just one point at 29-28.

In the final moments of the match, Chipu managed to secure the victory with a late try, sealing a 34-28 win.

The Kenyan U20s will face Tunisia in their next match on Wednesday, April 24 at 3:00 p.m. EAT.

With this hard-fought victory, Chipu will aim to build momentum as they progress through the tournament.

Kenya U20 squad

1.Darrel Olouch 2. Bramwel Anekea, 3. Geylord Ngasi 4.Eugene Etale, 5.Andycole Omolo, 6.Edmond Omondi, 7.Nathan Tsindoli 8.Iddo Kuta, 9.Patrick Wainana, 10.Jackson Siketi, 11.Alvin Khavoli, 12.Michael Wamalwa, 13.Daniel Kipchirchir, 14. James Olela, 15.Eugene Ojiambo

Replacement: Brian Shile, Ian Nyandusi, Hafidh Mohammed, Clein Okumbi, Willy Tino, Benadict Muiruri, Faran Juma, Philip OKeyo

BARTHES TROPHY FIXTURES

Matchday 1 20 April
Kenya 34-16 Namibia 2:00 p.m
Zimbabwe vs Tunisia

Matchday 2 24 April
Kenya vs Tunisia
Zimbabwe vs Namibia

Matchday 3 Sunday 28
Namibia vs Tunisia
Zimbabwe vs Kenya