Battling Chipu Fall to USA in Hard-Fought World Rugby U20 Pool Match Nairobi, Kenya – Kenya’s under-20 national rugby team, the Chipu, faced a tough challenge in their opening pool match of the World Rugby U20 Trophy competition, falling 30-20 to the United States on Wednesday at the RFUEA Grounds. Despite a valiant effort, the Chipu were unable to overcome a determined US side that dominated possession and territory for much of the match. The Americans opened the scoring early in the first half through a penalty try, which was converted by fly-half AJ MacGinty. The Chipu responded with a penalty of their own from fullback Johnstone Olindi, but the US extended their lead to 13-3 with a second penalty from MacGinty. In the second half, the Chipu fought back with a try from wing Dennis Muhanji, converted by Olindi, to close the gap to 13-10. However, the US responded with two more tries, one from scrum-half Jesse Kwiecinski and the other from hooker Murray de Faoite, both converted by MacGinty. The Chipu scored a consolation try through hooker Maxin Ilatsia, but it was not enough to prevent the US from securing the win. While the result was disappointing for the Chipu, they showed plenty of fighting spirit and determination throughout the match. They will now need to regroup and prepare for their next pool match against Spain on Saturday. “We gave it our all, but today was not our day,” said Chipu coach Curtis Olago. “The US were a strong and physical team, and they deserved the win. We will learn from our mistakes and come back stronger in our next match.”The Kenya U-20 national rugby team, known as Chipu, concluded their Pool B fixtures at the World Rugby U-20 Trophy tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland, with a disappointing 17-30 loss to the United States on July 12.The Kenya U-20 national rugby team, known as Chipu, concluded their Pool B fixtures at the World Rugby U-20 Trophy tournament in Edinburgh, Scotland, with a disappointing 17-30 loss to the United States on July 12. In a match played at the Hive Stadium, the United States took an early lead through an unconverted try in the 16th minute. Despite being outplayed by the Americans, Chipu managed to get on the scoreboard with a penalty kick by James Olela three minutes before halftime. The halftime score stood at 8-3 in favor of the United States. The second half saw the Americans take control of the game, scoring three consecutive tries within a 20-minute span. Chipu fought back and managed to get two tries of their own through Elvis Otete and Daniel Kipchirchir. However, it was not enough to close the gap, and the United States ultimately won the match 30-17. With the loss, Chipu finished their Pool B campaign with a 1-2 record, having defeated Romania in their opening match but losing to Portugal in their second. The team will now compete in the 5th-8th place semifinals, where they will face either Scotland or Tonga.Battling Chipu fall to USA in World Rugby U20 pool match LUSAKA, Zambia – The Zambia Under-20 national rugby team, Chipu, put up a spirited fight but ultimately fell to the United States 31-19 in their opening match of the World Rugby U20 Trophy on Saturday. Chipu started brightly and took an early lead through a penalty from fly-half Patrick Chanda. However, the USA responded with two tries in quick succession to take a 14-3 lead. Chipu refused to be disheartened and fought back bravely. They were rewarded for their efforts when winger Martin Chisanga crossed for a try, which Chanda converted to make it 14-10. The USA extended their lead to 21-10 just before half-time with another try, but Chipu refused to give up. They scored a second try through prop Lotti Nyirenda, which Chanda again converted to make it 21-17. The USA scored two more tries in the second half to seal the victory, but Chipu can take heart from their performance. They showed great character and determination, and they will be hoping to bounce back in their next match against Canada on Tuesday. “We are disappointed with the result, but I am proud of the way the boys played,” said Chipu coach Moses Raulerson. “They showed a lot of heart and determination, and they never gave up. We will learn from our mistakes and come back stronger in our next match.”