NAIROBI, Kenya, August 12, 2026 – Buoyed by their fourth Barthes Cup Under 20 Trophy, Chipu coach Simon Jawichre is confident the current crop of players can spur Kenya to the 2031 Rugby World Cup.
Jawichre points to their incredible talent as one evidence of his conviction, adding that what needs to be done is to keep the group together for consistency purposes.
“Key thing, again, is if they can keep staying together. A good thing is that we have a small window going to the next World Cup because this one is gone. So, I think many of them will make that group of people. They are almost ready to go to the next level,” he said.
The youngsters put on a masterclass at Wankuluku Stadium in Kampala, beating Namibia 33-14 to clinch their fourth continental title.
It was sweet revenge for Chipu who lost 32-22 to the same country at last year’s edition of the competition, shredding their hopes of qualifying for the World Rugby Junior Trophy to pieces.
According to the Catholic University Monks head coach, expansiveness was the codeword to unlocking the Namibians’ 22.
“If we kept it too tight, we were making errors. If we kept it too tight, we were going to lose the ball to Namibia. So, just play expansively and keep the ball moving and running. When they have the ball, of course, keep them under pressure. So, of course, possession was key and territory, because when they dug deep and got into half, that’s when they got their couple of tries,” he observed.
Jawichre added: “When we got the ball rolling, and kudos to our boys, because they are mentally strong and they took their chances. Played what’s in front of them, like we asked them to do, and that’s how we got to the finish line.”
The team arrive in Nairobi on Wednesday night during which they are expected to receive a red carpet reception at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA).
