Lead image for Chipu seek revenge as they face Namibia in Rugby Africa Barthes Trophy final.
Kenya’s Chipu will be hoping to halt Namibia’s bid to retain the title when the two teams face off in the Rugby Africa Barthes Trophy final at the Mutesa II Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, at 4 pm today.
Both sides are chasing a record fourth continental title and qualification for the second-tier World Rugby Junior Trophy, which is scheduled to take place in Chile from October 2 to 17.
Chipu produced an impressive performance in both halves to defeat Zimbabwe 35-23 last Friday, while Namibia narrowly beat Tunisia 11-6 in a closely contested final.
Namibia dominated the final encounter in 2017, securing a comprehensive 66-24 victory against Chipu in Madagascar, and they retained the title in 2018 with a dominant 37-18 victory at the Hage Geingob Stadium in Windhoek.
Cipu exacted revenge against the champions for the first time, stunning them 21-18 in the deciding match of the 2019 championship at the KCB Sports Club in Ruaraka, Nairobi.
That ended Namibia’s dominance of the championships that was held as Africa Under-20 Division A for 10 years from 2007 to 2016 before transforming to Barthes Trophy in 2027 in honour of Jean-Luc Barthés from France, who was a key figure in the development of rugby in Africa. Barthes died on February 10, 2016.
Namibia won seven editions, including the opening two championships in 2007 and 2008. They beat Zimbabwe to second place on both occasions before winning back-to-back titles from 2012 to 2016. Zimbabwe also won three consecutive events from 2009 to 2011.
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