Kenya Under-20 national rugby team, Chipu, got their 2026 Rugby Africa Barthés U20 Trophy campaign off to a winning start after defeating Zimbabwe 35-23 at the Wankulukuku Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, on Friday, 7 August.Download our Mozzart Sport app for more newsChipu produced an impressive attacking display, running in five tries to take control of the contest, before withstanding a spirited Zimbabwe fightback in the second half.A look at 13 Kenya U20 Barthés Trophy graduates who became rugby starsKenya opened the scoring inside the opening three minutes when Faran Juma slotted over a penalty after Zimbabwe collapsed a scrum. The Southern Africans responded almost immediately with a successful penalty of their own following a Kenyan infringement to level matters at 3-3.Juma restored Chipu’s advantage with another penalty as the match burst into life. Moments later, Zimbabwe attempted to clear from deep inside their own 22, but Kenya capitalized on the loose ball, with Brian Kiptanui crashing over for the opening try. Juma was unable to add the conversion as Kenya stretched their lead.##NAJAVA_MECA_9883156##The match continued at a frantic pace, and Kenya struck again when Juma released Rayvon Ambale, who raced clear to score Chipu’s second try. The conversion drifted wide, leaving Kenya firmly in control.Juma then missed another penalty attempt as strong winds made kicking difficult, allowing Zimbabwe to stay within touching distance before narrowing the gap with a penalty of their own.Kenya, however, finished the first half strongly. Mike Lukusi crossed over for Chipu’s third try before Juma successfully converted, handing the defending champions a comfortable 23-6 lead at the break.Andrew Amonde opens up on pressure of managing a star-studded KCB teamZimbabwe emerged with renewed energy after halftime and piled pressure on the Kenyan defence. Their efforts were aided when John Obango was shown a yellow card, temporarily reducing Chipu to 14 men. Despite the numerical disadvantage, Kenya’s defence held firm, forcing a crucial held-up situation before Zimbabwe settled for a penalty to make it 23-9.The Zimbabweans soon found their first try of the afternoon from a well-executed lineout move, with the successful conversion cutting the deficit to just one converted try at 23-16.Kenya responded in perfect fashion. From a powerful lineout maul, Jibril Joseph touched down for Chipu’s bonus-point try to restore breathing space at 28-16.Chipu continued to dictate proceedings when Jackson Siketi created space on the left before setting up Dennis Ndayala for Kenya’s fifth try. Ambale added the conversion to extend the lead to 35-16.KRU reveals two reasons behind major overhaul of 2026/27 Kenya Cup fixturesKenya’s captain was later shown a yellow card, but the damage had already been done. Zimbabwe grabbed a late consolation try and conversion, but Chipu comfortably held on to secure a deserved 35-23 victory.The win sends Kenya into the winners’ match of the Performance Division, where they will face Namibia on Tuesday, 11 August, with the match set to determine the division champions.