Kenya 7s, also known as Shujaa, have made a triumphant return to the World SVNs Series after a remarkable performance that saw them defeat Germany 33-15 in a decisive match in Madrid.
Shujaa had been relegated last year following a loss to Canada and were eager to rejoin the top tier after a season’s absence.
Germany vs kenya 7s
Germany, buoyed by a 19-14 quarterfinal win over Kenya 7s in the Munich Challengers Series, also aimed to secure a spot in the Series.
Kenya 7s huddle in Challenger Series. PHOTO/Rugby Afrique
The match began with Germany taking an early lead when Chris Umeh scored in the left corner in the first minute. Shujaa quickly responded, with skipper Vincent Onyala charging forward to touch down for a try, which was converted to bring the score to 7-5.
Kenya faced a setback when Chrissant Ojwang was sent off for two minutes due to a high tackle, and Germany capitalized on this opportunity to lead 12-7.
Upon returning from the sin bin, Ojwang redeemed himself by landing a try that leveled the scores at 12-12 by halftime.
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In the second half, John Okoth raced through the defense to score a centre post try, which was successfully converted, giving Shujaa a 19-12 lead.
Kenya 7s open gap
Although Germany’s Maximillan Heid scored in the 10th minute, subsequent tries by George Ooro and Kevin Wekesa secured Shujaa’s victory and their return to the top tier.
Kenya 7s captains Tony Omondi and Vincent Onyala in Challenger Series. PHOTO/Rugby Afrique
With this victory, Shujaa now shift focus to the third consecutive Olympics, having registered appearances in both 2016 and 2021.
They qualified for the upcoming Olympics by defeating South Africa in the Africa Men’s 7s games held in Zimbabwe.
HSBC SVNS PLAYOFFS POOLS
Pool A: USA, Canada, Uruguay, Germany
Pool B: Spain, Samoa, Kenya, Chile
Kenya 7s Playing Times:
Friday, May 31, 2024
Kenya 19-12 Samoa
Kenya 5-10 Spain
Saturday, June 1, 2024
Kenya 36-7 Chile
Sunday, June 2, 2024
HSBC SVNS QUALIFIERS PAIRINGS:
winner qualifies
Qualifier 1: USA 40-19 Samoa
Qualifier 2: Germany 15-33 Kenya 7s 6:20 p.m.
Qualifier 3: Uruguay vs. Chile
Qualifier 4: Spain vs. Canada
