Kenya Lionesses will face Samoa in an international Test friendly in October, head coach Dennis Mwanja has revealed.
The match against the Pacific Islanders, who are ranked 18th, will be a good test for the Lionesses who missed out on World Cup qualification for 2025 after finishing third during the Africa Cup tourney in Madagascar in May.
The Lionesses are currently ranked 23 in the world and second on the continent behind Africa Cup champions South Africa, who are placed 12th globally.
Mwanja's charges will also miss out on the WVX 3 tournament slated for Dubai in September following their failure to finish second in the continental extravaganza with Madagascar taking their place in the championship.
The KCB assistant coach said the Samoa match will be ideal for the Lionesses as they start preparations for the next World Cup cycle.
"It will be a good test for our 15's side after missing out on next year's World Cup. We have a very young squad but given exposure, they will qualify for the 2029 Rugby World Cup. Our preparations must start in earnest,” added Mwanja.
The tactician said a fully-fledged women's Kenya Cup and girls' rugby being played at the secondary school level are pointers that the game is thriving in the country.
“The two events give us depth and options not only for the Sevens game but also 15's game," said Mwanja. He hopes the Lionesses could get competitive fixtures next year and return to the WXV 3 tournament.
“Going forward, we need to play some of the teams ranked higher than us to be strong when the World Cup qualifiers."
The Lionesses will head into a training camp in readiness for the Samoa match in August or September and Mwanja hopes the match will not clash with the Africa Cup Sevens tournament slated for October.
“Last year while playing in the WXV3 tournament, we were also playing in the Olympic Sevens qualifiers which stretched our resources. I hope the dates won't clash,” added Mwanja.