Diana Wanjiku in action for Kinale Girls at a past event/ HANDOUT Kenya’s Under-16 girls rugby team will pitch camp in Tunisia next month as part of their preparations for the Youth Olympics in Dakar, Senegal, in November.
The Kenyan youngsters will be in North Africa from October 12 to 22, where they are expected to play host Tunisia, Senegal and a French select side before travelling to Dakar for the Games.
Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) development officer Eric Okoth said the training camp, funded through the National Olympic Committee of Kenya (NOCK) grant programme, will provide the team with a valuable boost ahead of their historic assignment.
“We would like to thank NOCK for the support they have granted the team for this training camp in Tunisia. It will be a big boost in terms of morale for the girls as they look at being competitive at the championship,” said Okoth.
The team has been holding two-week training sessions at the RFUEA Ground, with 21 players currently attending camp. The squad is expected to be trimmed to 16 players this week before the final team for the competition is named.
Okoth said competition for places has been intense, with players drawn from different rugby regions across the country. “Competition for places is quite intense, and we have good players from across all the Kenya rugby regions.
The coaches will have a tough job selecting the final squad for the championship,” he said. He added that the Tunisia camp would allow the players to acclimatise to conditions similar to those they are likely to encounter in Senegal while also testing themselves against opposition of different styles.
“The weather conditions we are going to face in Tunisia will mirror those in Senegal. Facing the two African sides will give us an indication of what to expect, while playing a European side in the build-up will be key as it will give us an indication of the teams we will be up against,” said Okoth.
Kenya are set to face some of the world’s leading rugby nations at the Youth Olympics, including Australia, New Zealand, France and England. Despite the quality of opposition, Okoth believes the Kenyan youngsters have what it takes to cause upsets. “
