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 If anyone thought Kenya’s winning streak in rugby was over then think again. It was another moment of glory for the Kenyan team as they trounced over Zimbabwe in a closely contested match at the RFUEA grounds on Saturday 12th June 2010.
The overcast weather conditions and the ongoing 2010 FIFA World Cup did not keep scores of fans away as they turned out to support their favorite team. Kenya came from behind to beat the visiting side 11-10 in their campaign for the Victoria Cup. The match was notable due to four main reasons: first it was a big day for 19 year old David Ambunya who made his international debut for Kenya, secondly the trio of the Simiyu brothers, Nato, Innocent and Victor started and finished the match for Kenya, it was the first Kenyan international match that required a decision from the Television Match Official (TMO) and lastly Innocent Simiyu, Victor Sudi and Moses Kola completed a treble of victories against Zimbabwe. The first half was a Zimbabwean domain as they held the hosts to a 7-3 lead until the half time break. However, it was not without its fair share of disappointment for the hosts who missed penalties after penalties. Their saving grace came in the form of another penalty that Abuoga put over, cutting Zimbabwe’s lead. Kenya’s start to the second half was slow as they struggled to stay afloat. Kenya’s coach Michael “Tank” Otieno substituted three players but the Sables kept pilling pressure on the Kenyan side. This led to the hosts being penalized for infringement that saw Zimbabwe stretch their lead to a 10-3. Zimbabwe then thought they had scored a try, only for the TMO to rule that the Zimbabwean ball carrier was held up. Kenya also lost influential player Joel Ng’ang’a to the sin bin and the remaining 14-man team desperately held out under the incessant Zimbabwe pressure. Sweet victory came in the last ten minutes of play as Kenya managed to weather the Zimbabwe’s storm to clinch an 11-10 victory. It was a an emotional victory for Kenyan coach Michael “Tank” Otieno who had lost to Zimbabwe as a player in 1981, 1985, 1987 and 1989. It was also Kenya’s third successive home win over Zimbabwe. Kenya will meet Uganda next. View Gallery 
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