Kenya Sevens shift focus to Los Angeles tournament

Tim Mikkelson of New Zealand (right) breaks away from Kenya's Daniel Taabu in the Sydney Sevens rugby tournament. [Courtesy]

Kenya Sevens head coach Paul Feeney has urged his players to forget their dismal showing in Sydney last weekend where they failed to register any win.

Following their last-place finish in the Australian city, Shujaa, who jetted back in the country on Tuesday evening, dropped one place on the overall standings and are now 11th with 26 points. 

Feeney’s charges will be looking to rebuild their reputation when the 2019-20 World Sevens Series resumes on February 29 with the fifth leg slated for Los Angeles in the USA.

“I am proud of what the boys are doing and much as the results in Sydney were disappointing, we move on and work on winning games in the next tournament,” Feeney said.

Kenya Sevens captain Andrew Amonde said their showing in Sydney was below-par as he rallied his troops ahead of their next tournament in Los Angeles.

“We were humbled by the top teams in Sydney but it’s up to us to work on how we will bounce back to winning ways after things failed to go our way,” the KCB forward said.

Shujaa’s duty in the USA will see them renew hostilities with South Africa after the two sides were drawn together in pool B.

It is the fourth time this season that Kenya has been pitted against the Blitzboks having lost to them in the season-opening leg in Dubai as well as the Cape Town Sevens Main Cup quarter-finals. 

Shujaa’s only win against the South Africans this campaign was a 36-14 victory at the Hamilton Sevens. Canada and Ireland are the other teams that have been drawn with Shujaa in pool B.

The Los Angeles Sevens will only feature the men’s event and will revert to the format where the best two teams in each pool advance to the Main Cup quarters.