Kenya Sevens and Lionesses registered mixed results at the second leg of the World Rugby Challenger Series in Montevideo in Uruguay on Saturday.
Shujaa who are missing the services of their talisman Patrick Odongo through injury struggled to beat Portugal 19-12 on Friday evening as their female counterparts Lionesses lost China.
In the opening Group A encounter, Shujaa turned defense into attack as Kevin Wekesa picked the ball from his own half before sprinting to touch down between the posts, a try that would be converted for a 7-0 lead.
The Portuguese responded almost immediately through João Afra Rosa following a quick set piece off a ruck to trail 7-5.
Cases of indiscipline from Shujaa saw Dennis Abukuse sent to the sin bin, a numerical advantage Portugal capitalized on to score a converted try through João Vaz Antunes for a 12-7 lead at the break.
In the final half, Anthony Omondi restored parity for Shujaa at 12-12 before debutant Chrissant Ojwang came off the bench to complete Kenya’s 19-12 comeback win.
On Saturday morning, Shujaa would be no match for Georgia who thrashed them 17-0.
The loss leaves Kenya’s sevens team with three points, placing them at the bottom of Pool A. Meanwhile, Portugal leads the pool with four points, alongside Tonga, who have also accumulated four points each.
Kenya must beat Tonga to qualify for the quarterfinals. The two side meet at 8.46pm tonight.
Elsewhere, Lioness lost 12-0 to China before beating Papua New Guinea 29-12.
Challenger Series Results
Saturday Fixtures
Kenya Lionesses vs Belgium -5:21 PM
Kenya Sevens vs Tonga - 8:46 PM
Results
Kenya Sevens 19, Portugal 12
Kenya Sevens 0, Georgia 17
Kenya Lionesses 0, China 12
Kenya Lionesses 29, Papua New Guinea 12
