Kenya 7s suffered a narrow 12-7 defeat to Germany national rugby sevens team in the ongoing SVNS 2 tournament at the Estadio Charrúa on Sunday.
The clash marked the second meeting between the two sides this season, following their dramatic encounter in Nairobi where Shujaa needed extra time to secure victory.
Heading into the match, Germany sat on nine points after winning all three of their opening matches, while Kenya national rugby sevens team had accumulated seven points, having suffered a defeat to United States national rugby sevens team earlier in the tournament.
Germany made a fast start, needing just two minutes to get on the scoreboard through Jakob Dipper. Max Roddick missed the conversion, but the Europeans held onto a 5-0 lead heading into the halftime break.
In the second half, Tim Lichtenberg extended Germany’s advantage with a well-taken try, before Roddick added the extras to push the score to 12-0.
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Kenya responded late in the game, with Floyd Wabwire crossing over for a consolation try. David Nyangige successfully converted to narrow the gap to 12-7, but it proved too little too late as Germany held firm to seal the win.
The result marks Shujaa’s second defeat of the tournament. They now sit third on the standings with eight points, boosted by a losing bonus point. Germany move to the top of the table with 12 points, level with the United States national rugby sevens team.
Kenya will now turn their attention to their final match of the day against hosts Uruguay national rugby sevens team as they look to bounce back and finish strong.
