Kipchoge tells Kenyan rugby teams to be courageous ahead of WC qualifiers

Marathon world record holder and two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge has urged the national rugby teams to have character and self-discipline ahead of the forthcoming Africa and World Cup qualifiers.

The 37-year-old was speaking at an event organized by the Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) to impart life and coaching skills to the men and women’s teams as well as former national team players.

“Let us embrace good team work, if you embrace good team work then we will be successful,” said Kipchoge.

KRU President Oduor Gangla invited Kipchoge, who is widely recognised as the greatest marathon runner of all time thanks to a string of victories including his triumph at the 2016 and 2021 Olympic Games in Rio and Tokyo respectively and a world record-breaking performance at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

Speaking during the same event, Kenya Rugby Union President Oduor Gangla noted “we as the rugby fraternity have been truly blessed by your presence and comments. You have challenged us a lot to be better men and women so that we can be able to realize our full potential.”

Shujaa who are the defending champions will face Senegal in their opening match of the Africa Cup Sevens qualifier-cum-Commonwealth Games qualifier on Saturday in Kampala, Uganda.

Hosts Uganda will meet Burundi, Zimbabwe will face Burkina Faso, Namibia will play Ghana, Zimbabwe squire it out with Cameroon while Tunisia meet Mauritius.

It will be a straight knockout format with three teams qualifying for the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament in Cape Town, South Africa.

Two more teams will qualify for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in July.

Kenya Lionesses will play the World Cup and Commonwealth Games qualifier in Tunisia at the end of the month to search for a place in the Club Games and the World Cup.