Kenya 7s have had mixed results on the International scene since 2010, playing in three World Cup’s, winning one Cup title in the Series and have had an appearance in the Olympics and Commonwealth games.
Different sets of players have donned the much-admired jersey in the period. Here is Scrummage’s team of the decade:
1.Andrew Amonde (Prop)
Amonde has played 341 matches for Kenya 7s in the World 7s Series and it’s only Collins Injera who has played more matches for Shujaa than the forward. The 36-year-old has 61 tries for Kenya which totals to 305 points in the series. The KCB man has 343 tackles for the side, 60 clean breaks and 494 carries in his career.
He captained Kenya 7s to Singapore Cup triumph – the first-ever Cup title in the Series. During his reign as Kenya 7s captain, Shujaa reclaimed the Africa Men’s 7s title, Qualified for Olympics and played a key role in Kenya 7s survival in 2018/19 season.
He will be remembered for Captaining Kenya to a fourth-place finish at the 2013 World Cup held in Russia. Apart from appearing in the Singapore 7s final and 2018 World Cup, he featured in Hong Kong 7s 2018 Finals as Kenya finished second after a 24-12 loss to Fiji. Amonde also played in the Vancouver 7s finals as Kenya lost 31-12 to Fiji.
The forward captained Kenya 7s as they took part in the 2016 Olympics though Kenya performed dismally and finished 12th in the event held in Brazil.
2. Oscar Ouma (Hooker)
During his reign as captain, Kenya 7s attained the best-ever point tally (104) in the 2017/18 season, breaking the 2012/13 record which had seen Shujaa bag 99 points under Mike Friday. Ouma played a major role as Kenya went on to reach the Hong Kong and Vancouver finals. Though he missed the Singapore 7s win and the 2018 Rugby World. His contribution to the team has been immense.
He has 199 carries, 78 tries that to 390 points for Shujaa. The Nakuru RFC man has 126 tackles in 207 matches he has played for Shujaa in the 7s Series. Ouma is also an Olympian having featured in the 2016 Olympics and 2018 commonwealth games where he was the captain.
3.Humphrey Kayange (Prop)
On June 1, 2018, Kayange retired from international rugby but his legacy lives on. The man who captained Kenya 7s to a third-place finish at the 2009 world Cup was there in 2013 helping Kenya to a fourth-place finish after a loss to Fiji in the third-place playoffs. The St Peters Mumias alumnus was Kenya’s top try-scorer in the 2009/10 season and 2010/11 scoring 33 and 31 tries respectively. Kayange was also part of the Singapore 7s win.
He retired after 331 matches in Series where he has 159 tries for 799 points. Only Injera has scored more tries for Kenya in the series than Kayange. Kayange ranks 12th on the all-time leading try-scorers list. He took part in the 2016 Olympic aged of 34.
4. Biko Adema Scrum-half
Though Biko missed the famous Singapore 7s win, the Hong Kong & Vancouver final appearances, he has been a key name in Kenya 7s squad. The Nondies playmaker who was a bronze medalist in the 2009 world Cup made it to the 2013 world Cup squad and helped Kenya to a fourth-place finish. Three years later he was in the Olympic squad.
The halfback was part of the team which reached the Wellington final under Friday. It was in this season that Kenya attained 99 points. During his days in the Kenya 7s squad, he managed 238 conversions (only Lavin Asego has scored more conversions than Biko) and dotted 44 tries. Biko played 230 matches in the World 7s Series and scored 702 points for Kenya. Its only Kayange, Injera and Asego who have scored more points for Kenya than Biko.
Read Also:
- Kenya 7s seasonal top scorer’s in the decade
- Collins Injera’s top moments of the decade
- Derrick Ashiundu’s rugby story
5.Lavin Asego Fly-half
He last played in the series in 2015 and he was the first Kenyan to score 1000 points for Kenya in World Series. He has 1026 points for Kenya and together with Injera, they are the lone Kenyans to have hit the 1000 point mark in the series. Asego’s points come off 53 tries and 379 conversions.
Just like Kayange and Biko, Asego was in the 2013 World Cup squad as Kenya finished fourth.
6. Collins Injera Centre
The Speedstar is second on the all-time try scorers list with 271 tries. With 16 conversions he tops Kenya’s All-time scoring chats with 1393 points. He was the top performer in Kenya 7s 30-7 win over Fiji in the Singapore 7s finals, scoring twice. He played in Wellington 7s final as Kenya lost to England 24-19 in 2013. The Vihiga High alumnus was also present as Kenya lost to Fiji in Vancouver and Hong Kong 7s, played in the Olympics and Commonwealth games.
He has 409 matches for Kenya and in this decades he has great stats. Read Injera’s moments of the decade.
7.Willy Ambaka Winger
Ambaka is another Olympian in this list. Just like Injera and Kayange, the man from the Wundanyi has finished as Kenya 7s top scorer in two occasions in the decade. He has been there in all Kenya 7s major successes. He also has two World Cup appearance.
In the Series, he has played 230 matches, made 226 tackles, scored 115 tries and 364 carries.
