Kenya Simbas fall to Algeria in Rugby Africa Cup 3rd-place playoff
By William Muthama, July 19, 2025Kenya Simbas fell to a 15-5 defeat against Algeria in the Rugby Africa Cup 2025 third-place playoff held in Kampala.
The match, played on Saturday, July 19, 2025, ended Kenya’s campaign in disappointment as their hopes for a backdoor entry into the 2027 Rugby World Cup faded away.
Algeria struck first, scoring a try in the opening minute through Benjamin Caminati. Although the conversion was missed, the early blow set the tone for the match as Algeria took a 5-0 lead.
Kenya quickly responded through a well-executed maul, with Teddy Akala grounding the ball in the 8th minute. Brian Wahinya, however, failed to convert, keeping the scores level at 5-5.
Algeria regained their momentum and extended their lead in the 20th minute when Kamil Bouregba crossed over for a try. Enzo Kralfa made no mistake with the conversion, giving the North Africans a 12-5 advantage at halftime.
Kenya, who had beaten Uganda 32-24 in the quarterfinals but lost narrowly to Zimbabwe 29-23 in the semis, were hoping to end the tournament on a high.
Algeria had entered the playoff after thrashing Ivory Coast 41-6 before being knocked out by Namibia 21-7.
In the second half, the Simbas pressed hard for a comeback, but their efforts were thwarted by Algeria’s solid defense.
Fly-half Hugo Verdu added a drop goal in the 72nd minute, widening the gap to 15-5. Kralfa had another opportunity to extend the lead further in the 77th minute, but his penalty went wide.
With that, the match ended, confirming Algeria’s third-place finish and Kenya’s fourth. It was a frustrating conclusion for the Simbas, who have yet to qualify for a Rugby World Cup despite years of promise and potential.
As the dust settles in Kampala, Kenya’s rugby fraternity will now return to the drawing board, once again left to wonder what more must be done to finally break through on the continental stage and earn a global ticket.