Kenya Climbs World Rugby Rankings After Elgon Cup Win
By Priscilla Jepchumba
Kenya has moved up one spot in the latest World Rugby Rankings following its close victory over Uganda Cranes on Saturday. The Kenya Simbas had to work hard to secure a win against Uganda Cranes in the first leg of the 2024 Victoria-Elgon Cup.
The Kenya Simbas won by a narrow 27-25 margin over the Uganda Cranes in the opening match of the 2024 Elgon Cup at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi. The second match is scheduled for Saturday, November 16, in Kampala, where the Simbas will need to uphold their advantage.
The match kicked off with an exciting debut from Griffin Chao, who quickly made his mark by scoring the first try just four minutes in, giving Kenya a 5-0 lead. This win marked Kenya's first match against Uganda in Nairobi since 2018 and provides the Simbas with a slight advantage as they head into the second leg in Kampala.
Meanwhile, Uganda squandered early scoring chances when Robin Philip Odrua and Joseph Aredo missed penalty opportunities, allowing Kenya to escape some early pressure. Kenya continued to dominate, and in the 10th minute, Jeanson Misoga crossed the line for the team's second try, with the successful conversion pushing Kenya's lead to 12-0.
However, the momentum changed when Misoga was shown a yellow card in the 33rd minute, temporarily putting Kenya at a disadvantage. Uganda seized the opportunity quickly but ultimately fell short, ending up narrowly defeated by the Simbas.
Uganda has dropped to 37th place, falling behind Kenya in the latest rankings. Another big gainer in the world ranking is the USA, which made significant progress, rising three spots to 16th after their 21-17 victory over Portugal in Coimbra. Portugal, who secured a spot in the Rugby World Cup 2023 at the expense of the Eagles, is just ahead in 15th place.
Spain achieved a notable 32-24 victory against Uruguay at home, climbing one position to 17th, while Uruguay fell two spots to 19th. Tonga also dropped two ranks to 18th after losing 25-15 to Romania in Bucharest. Romania's win improved their rating by 1.25 points, but they remained in 20th place.
Similarly, Chile stayed at 21st despite a commanding 44-14 win over Canada in their first match of a double-header in Bucharest. On a positive note, Brazil moved up four positions to 26th place after defeating Hong Kong China 23-10 away.