Junior Sables face Kenya in epic final

Junior sables

ZIMBABWE will be seeking to secure back-to-back Rugby Under-20 Africa Cup titles when they face hosts Kenya in what promises to be a thrilling final at the Nyayo National Stadium tomorrow.

The Junior Sables booked their place in tomorrow's final in style by smashing Tunisia 60-6 on Wednesday.

It was a second dominant victory for Zimbabwe in the continental tournament after the 55-0 mawling of Ivory Coast in the quarter-finals.

The Junior Sables haven’t conceded a try in their two matches, which will give their defence a lift in the final on Sunday.

Head coach Shaun De Souza said he will plan accordingly against the Kenyans, after their game plan against Tunisia went according to plan.

"The semi-final was a brilliant game. Everything went according to plan. We went heavy in the first half and then we were quick and fast in the second-half and it paid dividends.

“We managed to contain them without conceding any tries. We have some areas that we need to work on ahead of the final,” said De Souza.

“We have two practice sessions on Friday. We want to focus on our set pieces in the morning and we want to work on our systems and patterns in the afternoon. We have watched the Kenya game and seen their strengths and weaknesses.

"We will come up with a strategy to see how we can utilise our strengths as best as possible. It will be an interesting final. A clash of the giants. They will be fighting to get their hands on the title but we will be ready to defend the title,” he added.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe have been drawn in Pool A of the World Rugby U-20 Trophy alongside Scotland, Uruguay and North America winners between Canada and USA while Kenya is in Pool B alongside Hong Kong, Samoa and Spain.

The 2023 World Rugby Under-20 Junior Trophy is slated for July 15 to 30 this year in Nairobi. 

World Rugby U-20 Trophy is the second level of the World Rugby tournament structure for Under-20 national sides in which champions qualify for the top-tier competition, World Rugby U-20 Championship 2024.

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