Ovwamu chuffed at maiden Simbas call up ahead of WC qualifiers

Ovwamu, who starred in the Kenya Cup and Enterprise Cup finals against Kabras Sugar, has been in the form of his life in his first season in the top tier.

“It’s something that I have been chasing since I was on campus at Daystar; I really wanted to get that call up and an opportunity to express myself in the field because I believe I am capable of doing wonders.

“It has come at the right time; it’s been an amazing journey since I started until now but it’s not been an easy journey, it has had its fair share of challenges. This being my first Kenya cup season playing for the Oilers, it’s been amazing.”

The youngster, who joined Oilers from Daystar Falcon last year, says he will put his best foot forward in the upcoming camps to ensure he makes the final 33-man squad that will represent the country in the Rugby World Cup qualifiers.

“When joining Oilers, I was a bit shy because I had met the big boys; transitioning from Daystar to Oilers where I was training alongside famous players who are already part of the Simbas or Kenya 7s set up was not easy.

“I have put in the work and the coaches have really put in more effort to help me get where I am now. I just appreciate my coaches for the help they’ve given me in ensuring I improve my skills,” he added.

Simbas begin their training with a residential camp in Kakamega from May 11 to 18 and later move for high performance camps in South Africa.

This initial phase will see the squad undergo intense training and assessment, after which it will be trimmed down to 33 players.

The selected 33 will then regroup on May 26 for a short pre-departure camp before leaving the country on May 28 for a high-performance camp in South Africa.

The South African leg will be split into two key phases with the opening phase running from May 28 to June 22 in Cape Town, in partnership with Western Province.

During this time, the Simbas will engage in Saturday fixtures against Currie Cup sides and midweek contact sessions with local club and university teams.

The second phase will see the team move to Nylstroom from 22nd to 27th June, where they will collaborate with the Blue Bulls.

This camp will include matches on Tuesday and Thursday against the Bulls’ Currie Cup squads.

The Simbas will return to Kenya on 27th June for another brief pre-departure camp scheduled for July 1-2 before traveling to Uganda on July 3 for the highly anticipated qualifiers.