This archive report was first published on 27 July 2019.
Kenya's national men's rugby 15s team, Simbas, are set to face Zambia in a Victoria Cup match at the Diggers Rugby Club in Kitwe, Zambia, on July 27, 2019.
The four-team Victoria Cup has been revived after a seven-year absence to fill the void left by the cancellation of this year's Africa Gold Cup.
Simbas captain Peter Kilonzo believes the return of the Victoria Cup will help develop the young players who have recently been inducted into the senior team.
"These games will help stabilise the squad which is a blend of youth and experience. The young players should get enough game time at the big stage and despite the Gold Cup having been cancelled, I am glad we still have enough matches to keep us engaged," Kilonzo told Standard Sports before the team left for Zambia on Wednesday night.
Simbas face a Zambia side that is reeling from a 39-10 loss to Zimbabwe in their opening match of the competition in Harare last weekend.
"Zambia might be ranked lower than us but that should not be a reason to underrate them. We want to go there, play according to our systems and hopefully, get a good result," the KCB centre-half said.
Simbas will head to Harare to face Zimbabwe next weekend before they host the return legs on August 24 (Zambia) and September 21 (Zimbabwe).
