Match Preview – Hong Kong vs Kenya

The second round of the World Cup Repechage begins with two defeated teams looking to revive their hopes. For Kenya, their fate now relies on Germany upsetting Canada. Hong Kong, on the other hand, still have a chance to win outright. To do so they will have to start with a dominant win over the Simbas.

Hong Kong coach Leigh Jones has made dramatic changes to his side to do so, retaining only three starters from the side that lost to Germany. The new sees Ben Roberts at hooker, with Ben Higgins and Dylan Rogers alongside as props. Fin Field replaces Jack Delaforce at lock and the new back row is comprised of former skipper Nick Hewson, Tony Fenn, and Kane Boucaut.

Bryn Phillips is handed his run-on debut at scrumhalf after making his test bow as a replacement on the weekend. He partners Ben Rimene with Ben Axten-Burrett a new cap in the midfield. 19-year-old prospect Max Denmark plays on the left wing and the versatile Jamie Hood replaces Casey Stone at fullback.

Kenya have made four changes to the starting side that were overwhelmed by Canada. The most notable sees Wilson Kopondo starting at lock, the former skipper wearing the armband once again for the match in the absence of injured Davis Chenge. Elkeans Musonye fills in on the flank in the only other change to the forward park. It’s hoped that Chenge will be fit to play in the final round against Germany.

There are two other significant changes. After being named as an outside back Felix Ayange will run out at scrumhalf in place of benched Samson Onsomu. Another surprise sees top goal kicker Darwin Mukidza dropped entirely and Nelson Oyoo taking his place on the wing. Ephraim Oduor covers loosehead prop with flanker Dalmus Chituyi also named on the bench after missing the opening round.

These two teams have been familiar opponents in recent years, with Hong Kong getting the better of Kenya in each of the last two meetings. The main difference this time has been preparation. Hong Kong has been diligent and looked cohesive in defeat to Germany. Kenya’s build-up to the tournament was plagued by off-field disruptions with even coach Ian Snook admitting things did not go well.

There should be little reason to think the Simbas can turn the tide here. For significant parts of the match against Germany the Dragons looked the better side, and they will be bitterly disappointed with the result given their scoring opportunities. The decision to field an almost completely different side, however, does raise some eyebrows.

By the same token the selection of Ayange at scrumhalf is very unexpected as is the absence of Mukidza. The recalls of Kopondo and Musonye will boost the forwards but will it be enough against a Hong Kong pack that now boasts more than 50 caps of experience in Hewson and street-wise flanker Fenn?

Look for the Dragons to make up for their opening round letdown with a fired up effort against a vulnerable Kenyan side. Take Hong Kong to earn the bonus-point victory.

Kickoff is set for 1pm local time, 7am Eastern. Those in Canada can watch on TSN Go, with NBC Sports Gold holding the rights for the USA. Everyone else can access the live stream on World Rugby’s YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter accounts.

HONG KONG
1 Ben Higgins, 2 Ben Roberts, 3 Dylan Rogers, 4 James Cunningham (capt.), 5 Fin Field, 6 Nick Hewson, 7 Toby Fenn, 8 Kane Boucaut, 9 Bryn Phillips, 10 Ben Rimene, 11 Max Denmark, 12 Ben Axten-Burrett, 13 Tyler Spitz, 14 Salom Yiu, 15 Jamie Hood

Replacements: 16 Dayne Jans, 17 Dan Barlow, 18 Jack Parfitt, 19 Michael Parfitt, 20 Thomas Lamboley, 21 Liam Slatem, 22 Matt Rosslee, 23 Lewis Warner

KENYA
1 Patrick Ouko, 2 Colman Were, 3 Joseph Odero, 4 Wilson Kopondo (capt.), 5 Malcolm Onsando, 6 Andrew Amonde, 7 Elkeans Musonye, 8 Josh Chisanga, 9 Felix Ayange, 10 Samuel Oliech, 11 Willy Ambaka, 12 Leo Seje, 13 Collins Injera, 14 Nelson Oyoo, 15 Tony Onyango

Replacements: 16 Philip Ikambili, 17 Ephraim Oduor, 18 Hillary Mwanjilwa, 19 George Nyambua, 20 Martin Owilah, 21 Samson Onsomu, 22 William Reeve, 23 Dalmus Chituyi

Date: Saturday, November 17
Kick-off: 13:00 local (04:00 Pacific, 07:00 Eastern)
Venue: Stade Pierre Delort, Marseille
Referee: Jaco Peyper (SARU)
Assistants: George Clancy (IRFU) & Thomas Charabas (FFR)
TMO: Graham Hughes (RFU)
Broadcasts: TSN Go, NBC Sports Gold, World Rugby