Kenya 7s rugby team finished 10th in the Vancouver 7s tournament after losing 35-17 to Samoa in the ninth-place playoffs.
Despite the loss, Kenya managed to earn seven points from the tournament, which is tied for their highest point total in this campaign, while Samoa took home eight points.
Unfortunately, Kenya lost possession soon after gaining it from the kickoff, as Alvin Otieno was penalized for playing on the ground. Samoa took advantage of the situation and scored the opening try through Neueli Leitufia after several phases following a Paul Scanlan offload.
Shujaa, as the Kenyan team is known, lost possession from the restart again, and Melani Matavao won the ball for Samoa before setting up Scanlan for their second try, which extended their lead.
Scanlan scored his second try of the match with a break on the left side, and Samoa’s ability to keep possession led to another try by Faafoi Falaniko, giving them a commanding 28-0 lead.
In the second half, Kenya faced a daunting task but managed to score through Brian Tanga for a converted try. However, Vaovasa Afa Sua quickly responded with a try for Samoa, increasing their lead to 35-7.
Kenya didn’t give up and, after a beautiful passage of play, Kevin Wekesa offloaded to Billy Odhiambo for a try. A high tackle on Tanga led to Falaniko’s yellow card, and Kenya had a chance to score again.
From a scrum, Tanga fed Denis Abukuse, who kicked and then collected the ball to score the final try of the match, making the final score 35-17 in favor of Samoa.
The Kenyan team now shift their focus to the upcoming Hong Kong 7s, which will take place in late March.
Vancouver 7s semifinal pairings
13TH PLACE SEMI FINAL
Japan 19-0 Chile
South Africa 31-14 Canada
9TH PLACE SEMI FINAL
Uruguay 7-38 Samoa
Kenya 7s 24-14 Spain
5TH PLACE SEMI FINAL
Great Britain 5-19 New Zealand
Fiji 19-24 USA
Monday 06 March
CUP SEMI FINALS
France 26-12 Australia
Argentina 14-7 Ireland
13TH PLACE PLAY-OFF
Japan 5-17 South Africa:
9TH PLACE PLAY-OFF
Samoa 35-17 Kenya 7s
5TH PLACE PLAY-OFF
New Zealand vs USA : 02:41
BRONZE FINAL
Ireland vs Australia : 04:29
CUP FINAL
Argentina vs France : 05:26
