Team GB halts timid Kenya
Rugby
By
John Lawrence
| Aug 10, 2016
Billy ‘The Kid’ Odhiambo made history yesterday as the first Kenyan to ever score a try at an Olympic stage.
Kenya began their campaign at the maiden Rugby Sevens Olympic Games at the Deodoro Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on the wrong foot by falling to giants Great Britain in Pool C opener. Kenya Sevens National Rugby team could only manage a solitary try in the second half in a game dictated by the Great Britain right from the start to the final whistle.
Dan Norton deftly evaded Oscar Ayodi, flying down the left-wing to score before James Rodwell offloaded and put Phil Burgess in for Great Britain’s second try. For a moment, coach Benjamin Ayimba’s charges were on a free fall down the slopes as the British found more spaces out wide.
With a 17-0 lead, Team GB chose to put on one of their best executed set-plays while Kenyans easily gave away possession. Hard work from the Britons in the first half paid off when Dan Bibby took the reluctant outside line and sealed victory with another five-pointer just before the break at 24:0.
When the second half started, skilful quick hands of Bush Mwale and signature offloading in the middle of the park between Mwale and Willy Ambaka gave Billy ‘The Kid’ an easy chance with the ball as he quickly raced past Six Nations star Mark Bennett to score Kenya’s only try of the match.
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Biko Adema did not disappoint with the conversion but it was an awkward fixture to start off with for the experienced Kenyan side. With the score line at 24:7, Mark Bennett also touched down, with Team GB’s captain Tom Mitchell adding his third conversion.
Collins Injera, the World Sevens Series top try scorer made little impact on the game and a late attempt by Ambaka, disappointingly, could not hold on to the ball. The match ended 31:7 in favour of Team Great Britain.
Kenya’s second match was against New Zealand in a late Kick off, the top two sides in each of the three pools proceed into the quarter-finals, plus the two best third-placed teams.