The Kenya Rugby Union has announced the dates for the 2025 Safari 7s tournament, which will return to Nairobi.
According to the Union, the tournament will run from October 10-12 in Nairobi and will mark the 27th edition of the event since its inception in 1996.
Announcement on Safari 7s
“The Kenya Rugby Union is pleased to announce the dates for this year’s Safari 7s tournament, which will take place from the 10th to the 12th of October in Nairobi,” the Kenya Rugby Union stated.
“This will be the 27th edition of the tournament since its inception back in 1996 and it has been held every year since then, save for 2020 due to COVID-19 and 2022,” the Union added.
Last year’s edition was the first time the tournament was held outside the capital city; it took place in Machakos County, with Shujaa and Costa Rica Barbarians lifting the Robin Cahill Trophy in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively.
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Shujaa secured their third consecutive Safari 7s title with a hard-fought 12-0 win over Shogun Rugby at Machakos Stadium, adding to titles won in 2021, 2023, and now 2024.
This triumph marked a repeat of the 2023 final, where Shujaa defeated Shogun (then known as Samurai) 19-0. Shujaa’s victory also achieved the first treble since 2008-2010.
This was the fifth final between the two sides, and the match was tightly contested from the outset.
During the tournament, Benson Salem made a stellar return to Shujaa, scooping two prestigious awards.
He clinched the top try scorer accolade, having scored twice in the quarterfinals and added tries in both the semifinals and final. Salem also emerged as the tournament’s top points scorer, contributing significantly to Kenya’s tally with his kicking.
Samuel Asati was named the player of the final after his crucial performance.
In the women’s category, Kenya Lionesses’ Freshia Oduor dazzled throughout the tournament, scoring multiple hat-tricks to secure the top try scorer title.
Her efforts also saw her recognized as the top points scorer of the women’s event.
The player of the final award in the women’s competition went to Costa Rica Barbarians’ Felceder Olivia, acknowledging her influential role in her team’s performance.
