Menengai coach Weru tells Chipu to oil their set pieces at the World Rugby U20 Trophy

Menengai Oilers RFC head coach Gibson Weru has faulted the national U20 team, Chipu, for their inefficient play in set pieces which he says cost them the game against Netherlands at the World Rugby U20 Trophy in Scotland.

Chipu were hammered 51-3 by the Dutch in their second pool match having lost 25-7 in their opening game against Uruguay, and Weru says the team needs to do more to improve on their set pieces.

“From what I saw I think we struggled in the line outs and set pieces are a big part of the game, and we could not gain an ascendancy defensively and at the same time during our attacks. We struggled in the line outs and that made us lose a lot of possession. Again, from my own perspective the kicking game was not where it's supposed to be," said Weru.

Noting how crucial set pieces are in rugby, Weru says it is the weapon that Netherlands used to slay Simon Jawichre’s boys.

“I think Netherlands had a very good kicking game which put us under so much pressure and we ended up losing possession. Rugby is a game of playing with the ball and we didn’t adapt to playing without the ball, so we really struggled and I think they (Netherlands) had a game plan that worked for them,” noted Weru.

The former Kenyan international further says that the team needs consistent training in camp to help them harness its potential.

“It’s not a matter of being in camp for three weeks, it’s a matter of being in camp for a long duration of time. If they are elite players then three weeks would be sufficient, but these are young boys who develop over time, so they need to be in camp continuously over a period of time. If we can have them in camp for at least six months then maybe that can translate to a result; and then making sure we play competitive games,” said the Oilers tactician.

“But I must say the caliber of players they have in that cohort is quite special and they need to be nurtured. If you look at most of them, they are playing in the Kenya Cup and they need to play at that level so that they can be able to compete a little bit better,” he added.

Kenya will take on USA on Friday, July 12, at 4.30pm East African Time in their final group match game and will hope things work in their favor if they are to win at least a single match in the tournament.