Sevens fans favourites Kenya will show off their growing ambition in the XV-a-side rugby game after being confirmed as the inaugural opponents in next month’s Champions Match – to face the best of South African domestic rugby.

The East African nation – ever-popular at the HSBC Cape Town Sevens – will meet the Carling Champion Team, consisting of players selected by fans from any of the seven Carling Currie Cup Premier Division teams.

The match is a bold initiative between Carling Black Label, sponsor of the Currie Cup, and SA Rugby who have joined forces with the intention of recognising and rewarding the champion voices of rugby fans – who will play selector for the match.

Kenya have accepted the invitation for the showdown at Loftus Versfeld on 6 November 2021.

“The Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) is greatly honoured by the invitation by SARU to participate in the Carling Champions Match in Pretoria. This will be an excellent opportunity for the Simbas to play against top-notch professional opponents even as we prepare for the international test matches coming up. The experience of such matches is truly priceless as we prepare for the Rugby World Cup qualifiers next year,” said Oduor Gangla, chairman of the Kenya Rugby Union..

Meanwhile Arné Rust, Carling Black Label Brand Director said votes were streaming in from fans to name the SA team with more than 400 000 being received to date.

“The excitement for Black Label is being able to put the power to choose the ultimate Champion Team in the hands of our champion fans, basically making their ‘fantasy team’ dreams come true. And they have responded,” he said.

Fans still have time to vote for the Carling Curie Cup players they want to see featured in the Champion team. There are several ways to vote. Once fans have their hands on a promotional Carling Black Label 500ml can or 750ml bottle, they can vote via SMS, Facebook Messenger or by visiting the website at: www.carlingcurriecup.com

As the match falls in the international window and a break in the United Rugby Championship, players from the four teams competing in the tournament are also available for selection.

“We’re delighted that our friends from Kenya have accepted the invitation. The pandemic and our inclusion in the United Rugby Championship presented a few challenges and it has been a Champion effort all round to arrive at this day. It’s great to have a fellow African rugby nation marking the inauguration of an event that we hope to see grow as the calendar settles down and fans return in due course,” concluded Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.

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