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Kenya Lionesses face South Africa as Rugby Africa Women’s Cup reaches decisive phase
31st May, 2026 10:45 AM
The Rugby Africa Women’s Cup 2026 comes to a conclusion on Sunday, May 31, 2026, at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi, with the tournament title set to be decided on the final day of action.
After two rounds of intense competition, all eyes will be on Match Day Three as teams battle for continental supremacy in the Performance Division tournament.
The day’s action begins with Uganda taking on Madagascar in the third-place playoff. The two sides produced one of the most competitive matches of the 2025 edition, with Uganda edging Madagascar 24-20 in a thrilling contest.
With both teams eager to finish the tournament strongly, another fiercely fought battle is expected in Kenya’s capital.
The spotlight will then shift to the highly anticipated final clash between defending champions South Africa and hosts Kenya. South Africa enter the match with the psychological advantage after a dominant 49-0 victory over Kenya in their previous meeting in 2025. However, playing in front of a home crowd, the Lionesses will be determined to produce a much-improved performance and send a strong message against the continent’s top-ranked side.
Lionesses’ Path to the final
Kenya Lionesses produced another dominant display in the Rugby Africa Women’s Cup after hammering Madagascar 57-0 at the RFUEA Grounds to register back-to-back victories on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, setting up a mouthwatering final encounter with South Africa. The Kenyan ladies had earlier edged Uganda in their opening fixture.
Kenya made their intentions clear early in the contest, needing only four minutes to get on the scoreboard. Nelly Chikombe shrugged off her defender before sprinting over for the opening try to give the hosts a 5-0 advantage.
Soon after, Stella Wafula extended the lead when she raced down the right flank and touched down beneath the posts, with the successful conversion stretching the margin to 12-0.
Phoebe Otieno nearly added another try in the 10th minute, but the effort was denied as the Lionesses maintained pressure deep inside Madagascar territory. However, handling mistakes and obstruction prevented the side from converting several promising chances.
Despite being temporarily reduced to 14 players, Kenya remained in control, with Marvel Oswago bulldozing over from close range for another score.
Veteran forward Sheila Chajira then crossed over in the 28th minute to widen the gap to 17-0 before Faith Livoi broke away from a maul to score another try.
Sinaida Mokaya later slotted in a penalty as Kenya headed into halftime enjoying a comfortable 25-0 lead.
The second half continued in the same fashion, with Freshia Oduor completing a brace after collecting a grubber kick to push the score to 35-0.
The Lionesses kept their dominance alive with yet another maul try before Maureen Muritu got her name on the scoresheet and successfully converted her own try to make it 47-0.
Wafula later grabbed her second try of the encounter on the right wing as Kenya surpassed the 50-point mark.
Edith Nariaka completed the rout with the final try of the afternoon, sealing a commanding 57-0 victory for the Lionesses.
For Kenya, the fixture against South Africa represents an opportunity to test themselves against the reigning champions and measure the progress made over the past year. South Africa, meanwhile, will be aiming to maintain their dominance and secure another successful campaign.
