World U20 Trophy: Kenya secure maiden victory after edging Hong Kong

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RUGBY World U20 Trophy: Kenya secure maiden victory after edging Hong Kong

Mark Kinyanjui 14:04 - 25.07.2023

Chipu have secured third place in Pool B, and will now face Zimbabwe, the third-placed team in Pool A to determine the fifth-placed side.

The Kenya men's rugby U20 side, Chipu finally recorded their maiden win in their final World U20 Trophy Pool B game, edging Hong Kong China 22-16 at the Nyayo National Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.

It did not take long for Kenya to get going as they scored an early try through Mike Oduor just three minutes into the game which was expertly converted.

Their lead would be short-lived though, as Hong Kong were soon ahead, first from a penalty, before a well-converted try by Tyler McNally silenced the Kenyan crowd, to put the side 10-7 to the good.

Kenya would restore parity through a penalty after Hong Kong caused an infringement as Chipu were attempting to undertake a try.

Curtis Olago's men restored their lead in the 36th minute when they scored a try that was successfully converted, putting them ahead 15-10 at the break.

The second half started in a fairly dull manner, and it had to take a penalty by Hong Kong after Kenya’s Laban Kipsang had missed the ball mid-flight to give them a chance at closing the gap.

Mike Oduor would score his second try in the 49th minute which was well converted by Patrick Wainaina to extend their lead by seven points.

Chipu were certainly asserting their authority and were dominating the game in their half, and when Hong Kong had the rare opportunity to hit on the break, he was stopped brilliantly by Vincent Omondi. 

The challenge instigated a series of moves that ended up in Chipu making an infringement that resulted in giving a penalty away, and the score was now 22-18 after 55 minutes.

From then on, the game started resembling what was more or less of a damp squib, with both sides showing relatively equal foot-ins.

In the en , Chipu had enough to hold on to their advantage and secure third place, setting up a date with the third placed Pool A side in their last match on 30 July.