Kenya’s goal of qualifying for the 2015 Rugby World Cup remains firmly on track and Western Province’s Jerome Paarwater has been responsible for much of the country’s recent improvement in the world rankings.

Kenya, the newly-crowned Confederation of African Rugby (CAR) champions, currently find themselves ranked 31st in the world – an all-time high for this ambitious rugby nation, who have been doing their thing on the world Sevens circuit for some time.

And, with the help of Paarwater, a former DHL Stormers and DHL Western Province coach, the Kenyan 15-a-side team is now less than a handful of matches away from qualifying for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England.

Paarwater explained his – and WP’s – involvement in Kenya: “(WPRFU President) Thelo Wakefield received a request from the Kenyan Rugby Union last year for Western Province to assist Kenya in their goal of qualifying for the next World Cup.

“I started working with them in June (of last year) and the squad then spent 10 days in Cape Town this year, where they trained and also played practice matches against the Western Province Currie Cup training squad, the WP Under-21s and the University of the Western Cape.

“I know that the squad learnt a lot from the camp and that they attributed a lot of their success, in the Elgon Cup and the CAR Cup this year, to those 10 days spent in Cape Town.”

Sasha Mutai, the vice-Chairman of the Kenyan Rugby Union, was effusive in his praise of Paarwater in an email sent to Hennie Bekker (the GM of WP’s Toyota Rugby School of Excellence), WP Rugby CEO Rob Wagner and WPRFU President Thelo Wakefield.

“The Chairman will still be writing a formal letter to you, but I felt that I had to express my gratitude to all of you (Messrs Bekker, Wagner and Wakefield) personally,” wrote Mutai.

“Hennie (Bekker), you were right on the money by recommending Jerome to us in that first email communication last year. I would like to thank Western Province Rugby for the great assistance you have given us thus far. All the best to WP in the Currie Cup and in the Under-19 and Under-21 competitions.”

Having now tasted success as champions of Africa, the Kenyan squad will start with a four-week conditioning programme next week before turning their attention to two matches in Europe at the end of the year – against Spain (22th) and Portugal (22nd), both of whom are ranked higher than Kenya in the IRB World Rankings.

Then, next year (in April), Kenya will go head-to-head against Zimbabwe, Namibia and Madagascar. A win in that quadrangular tournament will see them qualify for the 2015 World Cup and Paarwater, and Western Province, will continue to assist the Kenyans in their push for that RWC place.

Looking ahead, Paarwater said: “I really believe that Kenya can be a force in Fifteens – as they have become in Sevens in recent years

“One of Kenya’s big aims is to (obviously) qualify for the next Rugby World Cup, but, for me, a crucial part of this relationship (between WP Rugby and Kenya) is to educate and empower the local Kenyan club coaches too. I’ve put a few of our structures in place in Kenya, but I also spend a lot of time talking and helping the club coaches in Kenya.

“I guess as South Africans, and in a great union like Western Province, we take for granted the excellent rugby structures and facilities that we have. Kenya are keen to become players in Fifteens, as they are in Sevens, they’re working hard on gathering some new sponsors too and, of course, playing in the Vodacom Cup would be a very important step for them too.”

* For more on the work being done by WP Rugby, in conjunction with the Kenyan Rugby Union, visit www.kenyarfu.com