Namibia’s Junior Welwitschias surrendered the Rugby Africa U20 Barthés Trophy after losing 33–14 to Kenya in the Performance Division final at Muteesa II Stadium in Kampala, Uganda.

The defeat brought Namibia’s title defence to an end and saw Kenya reclaim the continental crown with a commanding performance against the defending champions.

Kenya, known as Chipu, took control of the final from the outset and went into the halftime break with a 14–0 lead. The East Africans maintained the pressure after the restart, eventually crossing for five tries to pull away from Namibia.

Scrum-half Michael Andale opened the scoring for Kenya after finding a gap in the Namibian defence, before hooker Jibril Lugonzo crashed over for the second try following a series of strong carries by the Kenyan forwards.

Namibia responded early in the second half after sustained pressure on the Kenyan try-line resulted in flanker Nzola Nkunku forcing his way over for a try. Winger Ethan Sinden then added another five-pointer as Namibia attempted to close the gap, but Kenya regained control and finished strongly.

Winger Brian Kiptanui, centre Rayvon Avunga and replacement forward Randy Outuma all crossed the line in the second half to seal the 33–14 victory for Chipu. The result secured Kenya’s fourth Barthés Trophy title, making them the most successful team in the history of Africa’s premier U20 rugby competition.

Kenya’s victory also earned them qualification for the World Rugby U20 Trophy.

Namibia booked their place in the championship decider with a victory over Tunisia, while Kenya entered the final after defeating Zimbabwe 35–21 in the semi-final. For Namibia, the result represents a disappointing end to their campaign and sees the Junior Welwitschias relinquish their continental crown.

By Rudi Bowe