This archive report was first published on 9 August 2019.
Kenya's national women's rugby team, the Lionesses, are in Johannesburg, South Africa, to compete in the Africa Women's Cup, a four-team tournament that doubles as a qualifying event for the 2021 Women's Rugby World Cup in New Zealand. The team, led by captain Philadelphia Orlando, will face Madagascar in their opening match on August 9, 2019, at the Bosman Stadium.
Despite being the weakest side on paper, Madagascar is not expected to be an easy opponent for the Lionesses. The team's coach, Ravoavahy Nirina, has expressed confidence in his team's abilities, citing their agility, quality of play, and cohesion as key strengths.
Kenya's captain, Philadelphia Orlando, has downplayed suggestions that the match will be a walk in the park for the Lionesses. 'We are not going there to underrate any side because Madagascar are equally tough,' Orlando said. 'We have been working hard in the past two months and I believe we are good to go. Our target is to go to the World Cup and that's why we are going to compete favourably.'
The winner of the Africa Women's Cup will earn an automatic ticket to the World Cup, while the runner-up will play South American opposition in a one-off playoff. The winner of this playoff will then advance to a four-team repechage tournament next year to try and seal qualification to the global event.
