Rugby: Kenya Lionesses to play South Africa in Challenger Series

Kenya Lionesses Janet Okello in action against Madagascar at the Sevens Solidarity Camp in Tunisia.[Courtesy]

The women’s national sevens team, Lionesses, will renew their rivalry with South Africa after being pooled together ahead of the 2022 World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series to be played in Santiago, Chile come August 12.

Kenya Lionesses will be among the teams seeking promotion to the HSBC World Sevens Series and they will have to do their best if they are to play in the 2023 series.

The Lionesses are in Group D of the women’s competition with hosts Chile, China and South Africa, who played as an invitational team in the final event of the 2022 Series in Toulouse in May.

The other women’s pools see Poland, Belgium, Papua New Guinea and Argentina in Group E while Japan, Kazakhstan, Colombia and Mexico wind up Group F.

The World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series was launched in February 2020 to boost rugby sevens’ development across the globe.

The competition acts as the promotion pathway for the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series with the men’s and women’s Challenger Series winners becoming a core team on the World Series for the following season.