NAIROBI, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Kenya 15s rugby team head coach Ian Snook has cautioned his players against being complacent after his side returned home on Monday having claimed a rare 28-24 away win against their hosts Morocco in Casablanca on Saturday.
The Kenya 15s team is among the six teams battling it out for the Rugby Africa Gold Cup in which the overall winner in the round robin tournament will secure automatic qualification for the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
The other teams are Namibia, who are the Africa champions, Uganda, Tunisia, Morocco and Zimbabwe.
"The players are aware of the task ahead and must be careful not to read a lot from the win in Morocco. It is a good start and we must maintain the momentum," said Snook on Monday in Nairobi.
The team will not have enough time to recondition and recover ahead of two intense successive home fixtures against Zimbabwe on June 30 and Uganda on July 7 as they look to eventually top the log at the close of competition on Aug. 18, when they play their last fixture against defending champions Namibia in Nairobi.
Kenya is seeking to become the fourth African country besides South Africa to represent Africa at the Rugby World Cup after Zimbabwe (1987, 1991), Cote d'Ivoire (1995) and Namibia (1999, 2003, 2007, 2011,2015).
Kenya's Tony Onyango scored a brace while Biko Adema and Moses Amusala each had one try as Kenya claimed their first win against Morocco away from home. Previously, Kenya had lost twice to Morocco in Casablanca and won only once in Nairobi.
Meanwhile, Namibia played against Tunisia, claiming a 118-00 win in Windhoek during the Rugby Africa Gold Cup. It was the second win for Namibia in the campaign to retain the top 15s title on the continent.
This was the second win for Namibia following their 55-6 victory over Uganda two weeks ago.
"Congratulations on the Namibian team for their second convincing home win. I also wish to commend the Tunisian team for their valiant effort and wish both teams the best for their remaining matches," said Abdelaziz Bougja, Rugby Africa President.
Namibia are atop the log standings with 10 points. Namibia will next meet Morocco in Casablanca on June 30. The next match after that will be against Zimbabwe on Aug. 4 before a face off with Kenya on Aug 18.
