William Ambaka Ndayara

Powerhouse Kenyan wing William Ambaka Ndayara will join DHL Western Province ahead of the 2014 Absa Currie Cup competition.

William Ambaka Ndayara, who weighs a hefty 100 kilograms and stands 1,95 metres tall, first came to prominence after a string of outstanding performances for Kenya at international Sevens level – having made his debut for his country in 2011.

The powerful runner will now make the move to Cape Town and, thus, return closer to his homeland after spending the past European season at French club Lyon Olympique Universitaire.

“We first heard about Willy through Jerome Paarwater who has been working with the Kenyan 15-a-side team and very nearly helped them qualify for the 2015 Rugby World Cup,” Gert Smal, Western Province’s Director of Rugby, told www.wprugby.com.

“Our DHL Western Province selection played against Willy and the Kenyan side in Nairobi in June and, of course, we have done plenty of research on him on top of that.”

“He is a strong runner with plenty of pace and tremendous aerial skills… he’s an exciting addition to our playing ranks. But his on-field abilities aside, Willy is a true professional who is looking forward to joining Western Province and being a part of the exciting brand of rugby being played here at DHL Newlands.”

The Kenyan speedster can play at centre or wing and will add significant depth to the DHL Western Province backline during the 2014 Absa Currie Cup competition which gets underway next weekend.

“We are looking forward to Willy’s arrival next week and can’t wait to get him up to speed and playing for DHL Western Province during the Absa Currie Cup,” concluded Smal.

Ambaka, who is 24 years old, was one of three nominees for the prestigious IRB Sevens Player of the Year Award in 2013, losing out eventually to New Zealand’s Tim Mikkelson.

Editors please note: William Ambaka Ndayara is known in rugby circles simply as ‘Willy Ambaka’.