Kenya 7s forward Herman Humwa has likened the team’s promotion back to the World SVNS Series to a liberation from the Challenger Series.
Humwa was among the players who played in the knockout match against Canada in the 2023 London 7s, which saw Kenya being relegated after 23 years in the series following a 12-07 loss.
Kenya 7s promotion delight
A year later, Humwa was in action as Shujaa beat Germany 33-15 in a match played in Madrid. The Kenya Harlequin captain said that the promotion left the team very delighted.
Kenya 7s (Shujaa) players hurdle in a past match. Photo/Screen grab
“We are happy to be back in the series. You could see from the celebrations—they were telling us to leave the pitch, but the fans brought the vibe, so it felt like a second Madaraka Day since the previous day was Madaraka Day. We felt we had freed ourselves from the Challenger Series.
“The fight in Madrid wasn’t easy, but with the thought of a second heartbreak, we couldn’t let the country down. We had to ensure the team had a purpose for the win,” Humwa told a local radio station in an interview.
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Brian Tanga, who was also part of both the relegated and promoted teams, expressed his joy, stating that in 2023, they felt they had let Kenyan fans down and were keen to change the outcome.
“We were part of the team that was relegated, and at some point, we felt bad, like rugby was meaningless but later recollected ourselves. We let down fans big time, and it was in London (2021) in front of our fans, which made it even worse. But we finally managed to flip it,” Tanga said.
Kenya 7s player Brian Tanga tries to hit gap. PHOTO/Mike Lee for World Rugby
Shujaa will be making their return to the HSBC Rugby Sevens Series in 2025, becoming the only team in Africa to be relegated and then promoted back within a span of one year.
