Build-up matches

Sunday

Rwanda                vs            Botswana            4pm

Monday

Rwanda                vs.          Botswana            6pm

Rwanda senior men’s volleyball national team has cancelled the planned friendly matches with their Kenyan counterparts as well as top clubs; Prisons, Ulinzi and GSU, this paper has learnt.

According to head coach Paul Bitok, the team will instead focus on two international friendlies with visiting Botswana on Sunday and Monday as well as a couple of training games against top local clubs, INATEK, APR and Rayon Sports.

"We have cancelled the Kenyan games, we will play some matches here with local clubs and we hope it will help us to raise the level of our game before departing for Cameroon,” the Kenyan trainer said on Friday.

After the two games against Botswana, Bitok’s team will play either INATEK or APR, which has not yet confirmed, while Friday they will meet new league entrants Rayon Sports before crowning off the preparations with a game against a selected side (All Stars team) on Saturday at Amahoro indoor stadium.

The team will depart for Cameroon on February 11. Rwanda will open their campaign in final round of the 2014 FIVB Men’s World Championships qualifier against Algeria.

The team will face the hosts Cameroon the next day before playing Gabon and Nigeria on February 15 and 16 respectively. The top team in the pool will join the winners of the other two pools to represent Africa in Poland.

Algeria-based duo Christopher Mukunzi (El Fanar) and Lawrence Yakan Guma (ESS) is expected in the country this weekend.