Kenya 7s snapped an eight-match losing streak to Samoa in the HSBC SVNS promotion, winning 19-12 in the opening match of Pool B played in Madrid.
Shujaa entered the match as underdogs, with their last victory over Samoa coming during the pool stage of the South Africa Sevens, where they won 24-19 during the 2019/2020 World Rugby Sevens Series.
Kenya 7s vs Samoa
Since then, Samoa, the 2009/2010 series champions, had beaten Kenya eight times. Shujaa were coming off a second-place finish in the Challenger Series, while Samoa had finished in the bottom four in the World 7s Series.
Kenya 7s player Patrick Odongo scorers. PHOTO /Mike Lee/ for World Rugby
Despite Samoa enjoying possession, it was Shujaa who struck first when an offload by Samoa landed in Vincent Onyala’s hands, allowing him to race clear and score the opening try.
Shujaa doubled their lead when Patrick Odongo scored on the right side, giving them a 12-0 lead which left Samoa in awe.
Samoa fought back, with Motu Opetai scoring in the seventh minute before Tuna Tuitama turned his markers inside out to tie the scores at 12-12.
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Shujaa started the second half brightly, with Odongo bursting through the defense to score a center-post try, which was converted for a 19-12 lead.
Samuel Asati was yellow-carded in the final seconds of the match, but Kenya 7s held on as a knock-on by Samoa rescued them. Kenya will tackle Spain at 10:18 p.m. in the final match on Friday.
Kenya 7s pathway
To determine promotion, the teams in each pool will battle against each other on a round-robin basis, determining the rankings in each pool ahead of the cross-pool matches.
During the cross-pool matches, which will be qualifiers for the 2025 HSBC SVNS, the winners will secure a ticket as a core side.
In the cross-pool matches, qualifier one will see the top-ranked team in Pool A facing the fourth-ranked team in Pool B after the group stage.
Patrick Odongo displays Kenya 7s Jersey. Photo/Odongo Instagram.
In the second qualifier match, the third-ranked team in Pool A will take on the second-ranked team in Pool B.
The second-ranked team in Pool A will then take on the third-ranked team in Pool B in the third qualifier.
The fourth qualifier will pit the fourth-ranked team in Pool A against the top-ranked team in Pool B.
