Kenya Morans settled for sixth place in the Africa Men’s 7s after losing 28-19 to Zimbabwe Cheetahs in the fifth-place playoff match at Labourdonnais Sports Grounds, Mauritius.
Kenya’s kick-off failed to go past the requisite 10 meters, allowing Zimbabwe to catch the ball. Mandaza raced to score the opener, which was converted for a 7-0 lead.
Kenya Morans concede
The Cheetahs doubled their lead by breaching Kenya’s defence following a kick, with Musumhi converting for a 14-0 advantage.
William Mwanji responded by fending off his marker, breaking through Zimbabwe’s defence, and accelerating to score a try, which went unconverted.
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In the second half, Kenya managed to break through Zimbabwe’s defence again, scoring through Victor Odhiambo, with Festus Shiasi adding the extras, bringing the score to 14-12.
Zimbabwe stretched their lead with a try from Edward Sigauke, converted by Musumhi, making it 21-12. Joel Inzuga pulled back for Kenya, diving at the centre for a converted try that gave them hope of turning the match around.
However, failure to contain Sigauke allowed him to break away and score under the posts, sealing a 28-19 win for Zimbabwe. Kenya now shifts focus to the second leg set for next weekend at the same venue.
AFRICA MENS 7S DAY 2 RESULTS
Quarterfinal Matches:
Uganda (5) 10-10 (0) Ivory Coast (after extra-time)
Kenya Morans 7-12 South Africa
Zimbabwe Cheetahs 21-24 Burkina Faso
Madagascar 12-5 Mauritius
Ninth places semis –
Zambia 28-21 Algeria
Nigeria 19-5 Tunisia
Fifth place semis
Ivory Coast 7-22 Kenya
Zimbabwe Cheetahs 42-7 Mauritius
Cup semis
Uganda 12-0 South Africa
Burkina Faso 19-24 Madagascar AET
Finals
Ninth Place
Zambia vs Nigeria
Fifth place
Kenya 19-28 Zimbabwe
Third place
South Africa vs Burkina Faso
Final
Uganda vs Madagascar