Kenya Clinches Victoria Cup
Kenya secured the first ever Victoria Cup with a 21-5 victory over neighbouring Uganda. With the victory, Kenya also retained control of the Elgon Cup, a title they have held for the last four years.
The Victoria Cup
2010 marked the first year the Victoria Cup would be contested. The competition is set up similar to that of the Tri-Nations Cup, competed for between New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa. The Victoria Cup is played between Kenya, the Uganda Cranes and the Zimbabwe Sables.
Playing a home and away match against each side, the winner is decided based on the number of points at the end of the competition. It was also decided that the annual home-away battle for the Elgon Cup, that takes place between Kenya and Uganda, will be decided upon during the Victoria Cup.
Currently, Kenya is ranked the highest among the three nations at 35th, while Uganda sits second at 44th, and Zimbabwe comes in at 47th in the world rankings. Kenya and Uganda share a border and Lake Victoria, while Zimbabwe is home to the Victoria Falls. These relationships gave birth to the concept of the three team tournament.
Prior to the Match
Prior to the match, Kenya looked to be the strongest team in this year’s tournament. They opened up their campaign with a tight 11-10 victory over Zimbabwe, before heading to Uganda’s Kyadondo Grounds on July 3rd where they went on to win 33-25.
Meanwhile, Uganda beat the Sables at home 24-15 in their opening match on the 19th of June. As the Cranes headed into Nairobi, the standings had them sitting second with five points, Kenya atop the table with nine, and Zimbabwe sitting at the bottom with only one point.
Match Recap
Kenya started out strong by putting the first points on the board with a Nato Simiyu try and a convert by Peter Abuoga to give them a 7-0 lead. The Cranes kept it close, however, as they added a try of their own courtesy of wing Bishop Onen. Unfortunately, the conversion was missed and Kenya was able to hold on to the lead. Simiyu did well to add another try, and Moses Kola converted the kick to push the lead to 14-5 heading into the half.
The beginning of the second half saw the Cranes pressing in the Kenyan end. However, even with sustained pressure they were unable to produce any points. Kenya held Uganda off long enough to make a move of their own, seeing Nato Simiyu link up with his brother and team captain Innocent Simiyu for yet another try. The conversion was once again put home by Abuoga, sealing a 21-5 final score in favour of home town Kenya.
The victory seals the Victoria Cup in favour of Kenya as the win pushes them out to 13 points. The additional four points means that it is impossible for Uganda or Zimbabwe to catch them.
In the process, Kenya also hung onto the Elgon Cup, as they defeated Uganda in both matches. Kenya has now held the Cup for the last four years and has owned the Cup six of the seven times it has been contested.
Remaining Matches
There are only two matches remaining and both are scheduled to take place in Zimbabwe. On the 17th of July, Kenya will take on Zimbabwe at Harare Sports Club, and on the 24th of July, Zimbabwe and Uganda play the final game of the tournament.
Although Kenya has already clinched the title, second position and world rankings are still up for grabs. Zimbabwe only sits three spots behind Uganda in the rankings and two wins at home would help a great deal in closing that gap.
Tags: