Kenyan ladies climb world ranking after blistering World Cup qualifying campaign

Photo Credit: KRU

KENYA LIONESSES: Kenyan ladies climb world ranking after blistering World Cup qualifying campaign

Mark Kinyanjui 15:00 - 31.05.2023

Kenya finished second at the Rugby Africa Women's cup to qualify for the WXV 3 alongside Ireland and Kazakhstan scheduled to take place this October.

The Kenya national rugby 15s side Lionesses have enjoyed a small reputation and ranking boost following their performance at the Rugby Africa World Cup in Antananarivo on Sunday

The Dennis Mwanja coached outfit have climbed up to 23rd position globally after finishing second at the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup in Antananarivo, Madagascar.

This is the Lionesses highest ever ranking, having headed to the weeklong competition at 25th globally.

Kenya have amassed 47.41 ranking points, and remain second in Africa behind South Africa who sit 13th in the world on 66.15 ranking points.

England remain the number one ranked team in the world on 94.55 points with World Champions New Zealand second on 93.19 points.

Kenya joined Ireland and Kazakhstan in confirming their place in WXV 3 after they beat Cameroon 52-3 on Saturday . Those three teams will be joined by either Italy or Spain and one each from Oceania and South America.

Commenting on the areas that still need improvement going into October’s WXV-3, Mwanja highlighted the team’s ball handling under pressure and sticking to defensive systems as areas that still need to be worked on.

The Lionesses began their campaign with a 29-20 win over hosts Madagascar on Saturday 20 May before losing to eventual winners South Africa 0-48 on Wednesday 24 May. They would bounce back to defeat Cameroon 52-3 in the final round of fixtures on Sunday 28 May 2023.