Shujaa and Shogun will renew their fierce rivalry in the 2025 Safari 7s men’s final at Nyayo National Stadium, setting up a third consecutive title showdown between the two sides after triumphing in their respective semifinals.
Shogun were first to book their spot after edging past Kenya Morans 14–12 in a tense semifinal.
A missed tackle early in the game allowed Conscuella Francesco to cross the line for Shogun’s opening try, which he converted for a 7–0 lead.
Despite Enrique Bolinches being sent to the sin bin, Morans failed to capitalize and went into halftime trailing.
Shogun extended their lead through Rocaries Gabriel, who scored and converted for 14–0, but the Morans mounted a late fightback.
Rayvone Ambale scored and converted his own try for 14–7, before Victor Mola Odhiambo sprinted down the right wing to score in the dying moments.
However, the missed conversion left the Morans two points short, sending Shogun into the final.
EDITOR’S PICKS:
- Four teams that could National 7s
- List of rugby prospects from high school
- Colman Were keen to redefine Kenyan rugby’s physical edge
- Follow Scrummage Africa on Facebook
Shujaa Overcome Zimbabwe to Reach Safari 7s Final
Patrick Odongo was first to score, racing on for Shujaa’s opening try, which went unconverted by Nygel Amaitsa for a 5-0 lead. Festus Shiasi then added the second try, also unconverted, to stretch the lead to 10-0.
Zimbabwe responded through Carlos Matematema, who took a quick tap and raced past Shujaa’s defense on the right to score their first try, which was converted to make it 10-7.
In the dying minutes of the first half, Odongo was sent to the sin bin, and Zimbabwe took advantage through Edward Sigauke, who scored an unconverted try to give them a 12-10 lead at halftime.
After the break, Trevor Gurwe crossed over for Zimbabwe and converted his own try to extend their lead to 19-10. However, a yellow card to Manyakara reduced Zimbabwe’s numbers, allowing Shujaa to capitalize as George Ooro scored, though Amaitsa missed the conversion, narrowing the gap to 19-15.
Amaitsa would later make up for the miss, scoring a center post try and converting it himself for a 22-19 lead. Vincent Onyala then sealed the victory for Shujaa in the dying moments, scoring a converted try for a 29-19 win that sent them into the final to face Shogun.
The 2025 Safari 7s final will be the third straight meeting between Shujaa and Shogun (formerly Samurai).
Shogun last lifted the title in 2018, while Shujaa are chasing another home triumph before their fans in Nairobi.
2025 Safari 7s – Final Day Results (Sunday, October 12)
Men – Main Cup Quarterfinals
-
Shogun 31–5 French Renegades
-
Morans 21–19 UK Select
-
KCB 10–19 Zimbabwe
-
Shujaa 40–0 Nyati
5th Place Semifinals
-
UK Select 42–14 Renegades
-
KCB Rugby 31–10 Nyati
Men – Semifinals
-
Shogun 14–12 Morans
-
Zimbabwe 19–29 Shujaa
Men – Main Cup Final
Shogun vs Shujaa
