By OUR CORRESPONDENT
Four Kenyan rugby players have arrived in South Africa for the 2024 Rhinos’ Rugby high-performance camp in Cape Town.
The quartet of David Williams (Kisumu/Kenya Morans), Jackson Siketi (Kabras/Kenya Shujaa), Andrew Matoka (Impala/Kenya Simbas) and Mwamba’s Dennis Ndayala (Chipu/Kenya Morans) are in the camp that will run from January to May 2025.
Speaking about the quartet’s invitation to the HP program, Kenya 7s head coach Kevin Wambua expressed his intention to continue plugging into the Rhinos’ High-Performance Program to boost the Shujaa’s player development pathway.
“I wish the young lads all the best during their stay at Gordon’s Bay and we hope to have them back into our program as better athletes – not only physically, but also in their overall sevens rugby IQ,” said Wambua.
Speaking at Gordon’s Bay Training camp, Matoka said: “Player welfare is top notch – all my on-pitch and off-pitch needs have been catered for. Training is intense, but the coaches have informed us that it will get more intense as the program peaks. It feels as if I’m in a pro setup.
Frankie Horne, the South African 7s legend and head coach of the Rhino’s 7s High Performance Program said: “We have always been keen to assist Kenya achieve their athletes’’ potential and that is why we have always given opportunities to Kenyan girls and boys who are in the national team pathways to join our High Performance programs both in Gordon’s Bay South African and San Clement in LA.”
Kenya Rugby Union chief executive officer Thomas Odundo said: “It’s always a plus when our players get these opportunities to compete outside the country as it improves our performance overall. We’re wishing the players the best as they pick up the lessons from the High-Performance camp.”
