Kenya Lionesses are keen to duplicate their success in the opening tournament of the 2025 World Rugby Challenger Series by winning a rare double when the second leg kicks off on Friday, March 7 at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa.

Exclusively speaking with SNA from the team’s base in Cape Town, coach Dennis Mwanja did not hide his ambition to clinch the double. His task has been made easy by the resolve in the team to do better in the second leg. 

The former Kenya Sevens player downplayed the tag of favorites and maintained that this was a brand new tournament where the team shall start by focusing on the first match against Belgium. “It is a different challenge,” the coach acknowledged. 

Focus on LA

Mwanja explained that the players were eager to give account of themselves in every competition regardless of the draw and opponents. “Our focus is to qualify for the play-off in LA and eventually gain promotion to the core status,” the coach clarified. To achieve this, Kenya Lionesses have to win every match and finish as one of the top eight teams to progress to the penultimate leg in Krakow, Poland in April. 

On Friday, Kenya Lionesses, the top seeds begin this journey in a tricky Pool A that has regional rivals Uganda and European outfit Belgium. A quick analysis of this pool favors Kenya who must finish top and possibly play against Colombia in the semi-finals. 

Regional Derby

The regional derby against Uganda could replicate the continental derby against South Africa in the first tournament. “We look forward to playing against Uganda in our second match. Each team often has something different to offer and on a good day, Uganda is a tough team,” Mwanja offered. 

The coach gave a fair assessment of their progression in the opening leg where he tried different combinations in the event of unforeseen circumstances. “As a coach, you have to prepare for every situation,” Mwanja stated. 

Key to Kenya’s good run in the first leg was leadership on and off the field. Constant communication between the technical bench, players and timely substitutions was important. Mwanja is aware that Kenya’s opponents have been busy analyzing their strengths and weaknesses which is why it was important to change the format of play every time so that Kenya Lionesses remained unpredictable. 

Crucial Changes

Although the key discussion has been Kenya’s win against South Africa in the semi-final, Mwanja was always confident about the exploits of the players. To a keen observer, one of the crucial changes before the team traveled to South Africa was a tactical switch of the captaincy. Mwanja said this was normal in any team. 

In summary, Mwanja attributes the ascendancy to a timely sponsorship by Mpesa that ensured the player’s welfare was taken care of, a robust strength and conditioning program which bred endurance. “This is a team on the rise that has overcome many obstacles,” the coach admitted. 

Additionally, a blend of youth and experience has resulted in a mental shift ensuring the players owned the process. It is this mental attitude that shall play a key role in the second leg where each player is expected to give their best whenever they step on the pitch. 

Women’s draw and order of play

Pool A: Kenya, Uganda, Belgium

Pool B: Argentina, Czechia, Hong Kong China

Pool C: South Africa, Poland, Samoa

Pool D: Colombia, Thailand, Mexico.

Thailand v Mexico, Poland v Samoa, Czechia v Hong Kong China, Uganda v Belgium, Colombia v Mexico, South Africa v Samoa, Argentina v Hong Kong China, Kenya v Belgium, Colombia v Thailand, South Africa v Poland, Argentina v Czechia, Kenya v Uganda.

Saturday, March 8, 2025

Ninth place semi-finals: B3 v C3, A3 v D3.

Fifth place semi-finals: B2 v C2, A2 v D2.

Cup semi-finals: B1 v C1, A1 v D1