ALL HOPE IS NOT LOST: Despite finishing sixth, Kenya rugby Sevens take pride in good show after Cape Town trip
Rugby
By
John Lawrence
| Dec 13, 2016
Kenya Sevens finished sixth in South Africa after action packed rugby at Cape Town Sevens over the weekend.
The Kenyan team lost to Olympic Champions Fiji in the fifth place playoff. Sevuloni Mocenacagi seems to have found Kenya's soft spot by punishing his opponents after Augustine Lugonzo and teammates failed to control the lineout.
Mocenacagi raced to the try line followed by Captain Hosea Kolinisau's conversion to grant the South Pacific nation a 7-0 lead.
However, the combination of William Ambaka and captain Andrew Amonde proved decisive. Ambaka ran to his 75th HSBC Sevens Series try followed by a near miss conversion from Lugonzo. Then Amonde scored a try just after stubborn Mocenacagi was sent to the sin bin.
Fiji scored again to level scores 14-14 at the break. On return, Jerry Tuwai's exemplary skills and acceleration power proved difficult to match, as he landed his fifth try in Cape Town.
READ MORE
Two men, same name, same land: 30yr court battle heads for supreme court
From aid to enterprise: Refugee businesses expand East Africa's economy
Ruto rewards Sawe Sh8m, car for breaking London marathon record
Over 300 people displaced as heavy rains batter Mombasa
New 2030 plan targets billions in financing for farmers and MSMEs
Maina named Vision 2030 acting director
New initiative to increase accessibility to spectacles launched
Kenya's path to first-world status requires civic reform
To get it right, let us start right: How Kenya can best reclaim Vision 2030
But trust Kenya to match their opponents inch for inch with an answering try. Nelson Oyoo's gifted hands that had kept Kenyan fans dancing all weekend, restored the game to 21 points apiece. But a slip in concentration cost Kenya dearly in the dying minutes of the match; Kitione Taliga brilliantly offloaded to Nemani Nagusa to cement Fiji's fifth place finish.
Kenya's performance was an improvement from Dubai, where the team bagged only five points after finishing 12th. Billy 'the kid' Odhiambo was named in the tournament's DHL Impact Player, where he finished second to English Dan Norton.
Ugandan duo Philip Wokoracha and Lawrence Sebuliba were ranked fourth and fifth in DHL Performance Tracker. Cape Town Stadium played host to the second tournament of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series 2016-17, a tournament that saw England win gold with a show-stopping performance as they defeated hosts South Africa 19-17 in the Cup Final.
Kenya is now 10th in the series, ahead of Welington Sevens that begin in January 28, 2017.
Meanwhile, Kenyan Rugby Union has suspended all Kenya Cup matches until next year to pave way for investigations following back-to-back deaths of Mwamba scrumhalf Victor Wayodi and Nondescript RFC's Ogeto Gecheo.
"With his (Wayodi) death coming barely a week after the loss of Nondies center Ogeto Gecheo, the Kenya Rugby Union has in the interim postponed all league fixtures until January 2017, as it sets in place processes to understand the circumstances leading to the deaths of these two young players," a statement from the Kenya Rugby Union read in part.