Kenya 7s booked their place in the Hong Kong SVNS World Championship quarter-finals after edging United States national rugby sevens team 17-10 in their final pool match at Kai Tak Sports Park.
Shujaa went into the match having lost their opening two fixtures and were determined to make amends. Three well-taken tries proved enough to seal victory and secure a quarter-final slot as the second-best third-placed team, behind Argentina who progressed with six points.
Kenya had an early chance to take the lead, but Denis Abukuse knocked on while grounding the ball after a brilliant run.
USA struck first through Ben Broselle, who fended off Floyd Wabwire to score, though the conversion attempt was unsuccessful. They extended their lead when Lucas Lacamp latched onto an offload and outpaced the defence for another unconverted try to make it 10-0.
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Shujaa responded through John Okoth, who finished off a well-worked move initiated by Kevin Wekesa. The conversion was successful, cutting the deficit to three points at 10-7.
In the second half, Abukuse made amends for his earlier error by powering over for a try, though it went unconverted, giving Kenya a 12-10 lead.
Kenya then stretched their advantage as Samuel Asati combined well with Nygel Amaitsa, who raced to the corner to score. The try pushed the score to 17-10, and Shujaa held firm in the closing stages to secure a crucial win.
The victory sees Shujaa advance to the quarter-finals, keeping their hopes alive in the prestigious tournament.
