Roulston pleased by Simbas despite future speculation

Murray Roulston said he was pleased with Kenya Simbas’ 38-22 win over Uganda at the RFUEA Grounds a fortnight ago but believes more needs to be done ahead of the penultimate round.

Roulston, whose role with the national 15s side remains undefined following his resignation before an apparent backtracking act, also graciously paid tribute the Ugandans for being a worthy rival.

“Uganda played very well in the second half it’s a big week just like last week against Zimbabwe but we got a good start in the first half. We improved the game from last week and there is still more but we are very happy with the boys and we look forward to the next round of matches,” Murray told Citizen Digital.

It was Simbas’ fourth consecutive victory, which saw them solidify their second place in the qualifiers that also count for Rugby Africa Gold Cup to 12 points.

Kenya scored five converted tries and one penalty against Uganda’s four tries and one conversion.

For the win, Kenya picks four points in the Africa Gold Cup to stay second with 12 as Namibia leads with 15.

Despite the win Murray believes some work needs to be done ahead of the two remaining games against Tunisia and defending Champions Namibia respectively on August.

“It takes a while to build a team and the most important thing is to get a win for the team what needs to be rectified will be done so during our training hours,where we get to try out some new ideas and still work on what we  have,” Murray added.

Kenya’s five tries were scored by winger Jacob Ojee, captain Davies Chenge, half-back Samson Onsomu, winger Felix Ayange and prop Moses Amusala with Darwin Mukidza converting all.

In the latest standings Namibia top the table with 15 points having bagged maximum points from the three matches they have played winning against Uganda 55-6, Tunisia 118-0 and Morocco 63-7.

Kenya Simbas, who have played three matches, are second with 12points having missed out on bonus wins thrice, they saw off Morocco 24-28, Zimbabwe 45-36 and recently Uganda 38-22.

However, despite the success story by the technical bench Murray on his part stood firm onhis decision to step down at the end of the month and justified he was not going to change his decision.

“Im still going home sooner than you expect and there is nothing at the moment that can make me change my decision, we will have a discussion with Kenya Rugby Union officials today but my decision to step down still remains,”Murray added.

The Simbas will shift their attention to their next match at home against Tunisia on 11 August before tackling Africa Gold Cup defending champions Namibia a week later.

The 2018 Africa Gold Cup winner will be determined at the end of the competition where the team with the most points will be crowned champions and scoop the sole ticket to the Rugby World Cup in Japan 2019 as Africa 1.

Runners-up, Africa 2, will head to global showpiece in November for the last chance to qualify for the World Cup.

Africa Gold Cup Standings

Namibia 15

Kenya 12

Morocco 3

Zimbabwe 2

Uganda 0

Tunisia 0