Kenya Morans kicked off their 2025 Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens campaign in emphatic fashion with a commanding 36-0 win over Côte d’Ivoire at the Labourdonnais Sports Club in Port Louis, Mauritius.
Floyd Wabwire was the standout performer, bagging a sensational hattrick to help Kenya’s second-string side secure their first victory in Pool A.
Wabwire opened the scoring early, with youngster Jackson Siketi slotting in the extras to make it 7-0. He struck again in the fourth minute with a pacey finish, although the conversion was off target.
Dennis Abukuse then added a third try and converted it himself to extend the Morans’ lead to 19-0 at halftime.
In the second half, debutant Andrew Matoka crossed the whitewash with a try under the posts, the conversion went wide.
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Wabwire completed his hattrick shortly after, showcasing blistering speed once more to stretch the lead to 29-0 after Philip Okeyo’s conversion failed to sail through.
Felix Okoth sealed the rout with the final try of the match, and Andrew Matoka converted to wrap up a flawless 36-0 performance.
The Morans dominated both in attack and defence, not allowing Côte d’Ivoire any scoring opportunities securing the biggest win of the day.
Morans now shifts focus to their second Pool A match against Ghana at 12:12 PM EAT, followed by a much-anticipated clash with defending champions Uganda at 3:18 PM EAT.
Morans Headcoach Comments
“We’ve achieved our target for game one as Kenya 7s. Our policy is always to take it one game at a time, so our major focus today was Côte d’Ivoire. We did our homework, and the boys executed the plan we had agreed upon on the pitch.”
“Now, our main focus shifts to our next game against Ghana. We’ll sit down, help the boys relax, review the videos, conduct an analysis, and then take to the field again,” Morans head Coach Louis Kisia stated after bagging the first win.
