Kenya Simbas wrapped up their South African tour with a thrilling but narrow 42-35 defeat to Limpopo Blue Bulls on Thursday, 26th June 2025, in their final training match ahead of the Rugby Africa Cup.
The squad that featured in the hard-fought 27-24 win over Supa Barbarians earlier in the week was rested with head coach Jerome Paarwater fielding a rotated side for the fixture at the Nylstroom Rugby Club as the team winded down its month-long training camp in South Africa.
Kenya Simbas Start
Kenya Simbas started brightly, with Brian Juma crossing the whitewash for the opening try, converted to give Kenya a 7-0 lead. Limpopo responded with a well-executed maul try, levelling the scores at 7-7. Kenya hit back through Samuel Ovwamu, who dotted down under the posts, and with the conversion sailing through, the Simbas led 14-7.
The back-and-forth encounter continued as the hosts equalized once again with a converted try. Kenya then regained the lead through John Okoth, who finished off a slick offload from Bryceson Adaka, with Brian Wahinya adding the extras. Another Simbas try followed shortly, this time by Elkeans Musonye, with Wahinya converting to give Kenya a 28-14 cushion as the first half came to a conclusion.
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The second half saw momentum shift in favour of the hosts who scored a quick converted try to cut the deficit to 28-21. Limpopo then ran in two quick converted tries to take a 35-28 lead. Kenya clawed back through a maul-driven try by Teddy Akala, once again converted by Wahinya to make it 35-35.
But in the dying minutes, a costly error by the Simbas saw Limpopo snatch an intercept pass and sprint the length of the field to score under the posts, sealing a 42-35 victory.
The fixture capped off a demanding yet productive tour for the Simbas, who began their campaign with a 17-17 draw against SWD Eagles in George on June 3. The team faced stern tests against South Africa U20 suffering 24-42 and 19-75 defeats before bouncing back with a commanding 62-22 victory over Tygerberg RFC. A 26-42 loss to Sanlam Boland in Wellington followed, before the team edged Supa Barbarians 27-24 in a tight encounter earlier this week.
The Simbas return to Nairobi on Friday, June 27, where they will regroup for a short pre-departure camp on July 1 and 2. They are scheduled to depart for Uganda on July 3, where they will compete in the 2025 Rugby Africa Cup — a tournament that doubles as the qualification pathway to the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
