Nowhere to run for limping Shujaa side

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For the third straight season, Kenya Sevens will remain outside the top level of the HSBC SVNS Series after failing to secure promotion during the three-leg World Championship campaign in Hong Kong, Valladolid, and Bordeaux.

The outcome is a painful one for Shujaa, especially after the team had shown signs of progress since their relegation in 2023.

Head coach Kelvin Wambua inherited a difficult situation and rebuilt the squad, giving opportunities to a new generation of players and restoring belief after a period of uncertainty. The biggest concern is that Kenya appeared to move backwards as the series progressed. Hong Kong offered hope. Valladolid raised concerns. Bordeaux ended in disappointment.

Whether that decline is enough to justify a coaching change remains a difficult question. Wambua deserves credit for rebuilding the squad after relegation and guiding a young team through a challenging period.

At the same time, three years outside the top tier is a long wait for a nation with Kenya’s proud sevens history.

The 2025-26 season was unlike previous years. World Rugby reduced the number of core teams in the top division from 12 to eight, making promotion significantly harder.

Teams that might have survived under the old structure suddenly found themselves fighting for a limited number of places.

Yet Kenya’s campaign also exposed familiar weaknesses that appeared repeatedly throughout the season.

The warning signs were visible from the opening leg in Hong Kong. Shujaa lost to Australia 14-5 and New Zealand 28-12 before recovering to beat the USA 17-10.

Their quarter-final against South Africa showed both their potential and their problems. Kenya pushed the South Africans all the way before losing 26-22 in a closely contested match. They later beat France 21-7 to finish seventh.

At that stage, there was still optimism. Kenya was competitive against strong opposition and appeared capable of building momentum.

Instead, the team struggled to take the next step in Valladolid. A narrow 15-10 defeat to Australia was followed by a worrying 14-0 loss to South Africa, in which Kenya failed to score.

They bounced back with a 12-7 win over Great Britain, but their quarter-final ended in a heavy 21-0 defeat to Australia. Another loss to France, this time 14-5, meant they again settled for seventh place.

Kenya could compete in individual matches but lacked the consistency needed to challenge the strongest teams over an entire tournament.

That inconsistency became even more evident in Bordeaux, the tournament that ultimately decided their fate.

Knowing promotion was on the line, Shujaa delivered their weakest performance of the campaign. They suffered pool-stage defeats to South Africa (26-5), Fiji (31-12), and Great Britain (14-5).

Across the three tournaments, Kenya won just five of 15 matches. They lost all five meetings against top sides Australia and South Africa and conceded 31 tries while scoring only 18.

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