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The top placing of Mwamba RFC centre Billy Odhiambo and Kenya Harlequin forward Willy Ambaka by International Rugby Board at the Wellington Sevens last weekend has stimulated the national Sevens team as they start chase for glory in the Sydney Sevens tournament at Allainz Stadium in Australia this morning.
Kenya who are in Pool A alongside Dubai and Wellington Sevens winners South Africa, Cape Town Sevens champions England and Japan are also expected to rely on experience of all-time top try scorer and speedster Collins Injera.
Captain Andrew Amonde will also have to be at the top of his game if the team has to book a slot in the cup quarters.
The team is also buoyed by winning the Wellington Sevens Challenge Trophy, which handed them eight points to remain in tenth position in the World Sevens Series ranking.
A total of 28 teams consisting of 336 players will be fighting for honours as they all eyes a place in tomorrow’s finals of the Main Cup.
Going past South Africa and England should pose a hard nut to crack for Shujaa but the match against Japan is somehow not giving them sleepless nights if the history of the Kenyan team against Japanese is anything to go by.
Kenya play their opening match against England at 1.58 am (Kenyan time) before taking on South Africa at 6.15am and later Japan at 10.51am.
Kenya are facing South Africans for the first time this season and when the two teams met three times last season, Kenya only managed to beat them(South Africas) once 14-12 at Cape Town Sevens at the pool stage.
However, the South Africans turned tables on Shujaa in Sydney and Singapore Sevens 26-19 and 14-0 at the pool stage although Kenya went ahead to win the Singapore Sevens title humiliating Olympic champions Fiji 30-7 in the finals.
Kenya are yet to beat England in the recent past after suffering a 31-12 last weekend at the Wellington Sevens at the pool stage.
It is believed that the homeboys are not ready to flounder against the Britons this time round in the presence of her top players who starred against the Britons in the final global rankings last weekend.
Against Japan, Kenya are expected to continue with their dominance against the Asian team whom they have in the past dispatched with ease twice this season 17-7 in Dubai Sevens and 24-5 at the Cape Town.
