Simbas gear up for Rugby World Cup Qualifiers

National 15s team Simbas captain George Nyambua says they are gearing up for their World Cup qualifiers slated for July at Mandela Stadium in Uganda.

The 2025 Rugby Africa Cup will double up as the qualifiers for the tenth edition of the Rugby World Cup that will be held in Australia.

The veteran lock, who also captains Kenya Cup side Kabras Sugar, is pleased with the shift the team put on in training and is upbeat about their prospects in the qualifiers.

“We started the camp on Monday here at Kakamega showground; the boys have been keying in on work, three sessions a day. Coming to the end of the camp today, we will be finishing up with build-up games.” He said.

“I believe we are somewhere we wanted to be. Our main focus is to qualify for the World Cup, and everything we are doing, our focus and ambition, is towards the qualification,” Nyambua added.

Simbas will use their build-up match against the United Arab Emirates to enhance their fitness as they bid to impress in the qualifiers.

“The match against the U.A.E. will be very important to us as we head to South Africa. It will be our first match after quite a while, especially after finishing the season. Some of the guys have rested for a month,” said Nyambua.

“The game will lay a good platform for us as a team to know where we are and to test our form." Added the skipper.

Going into the buildup match, UAE are ranked 50th while Simbas are placed 33rd, with South Africa topping the global standings.