Shujaa, Lionesses dominate Safari Sevens
Rugby
By
Washington Onyango
| Nov 18, 2023
Shujaa kicked off their 2023 Safari Sevens title defense on a high note after qualifying for the knockout of the two-day event ongoing at the RFUEA Ground in Nairobi on Saturday.
The 2023 Africa Sevens champions who will be using this tournament as one of their preparation test matches for the Paris Olympics set for next got off to a perfect start in Group A after picking a convincing 36-0 victory against South Africa All-Stars.
Rising star Patrick Odongo and captain Vincent Onyala each bagged a barce before Kevin Wekesa, and Brian Mutugi sealed the win.
In the second match, Nygel Amaitsa, Vincent Onyala, and John Okoth went over the white wash as Shujaa stopped arch rivals Uganda 17-5 and book a spot in the knock outs with a game to spare.
Shujaa will be joined by the Ugandans who despite their defeat to the Kevin Wambua charges saw off South Africa All Stars 35-0 and Red Wailers 32-0. Uganda also thrashed Tuks 41-0.
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"We played well, just had one error which led to the try that we conceded but we showed good composure in coming back and scoring the other try.
We have been polishing on our structures in attack and defence and reinforcing our skillset and so far so good because the team is playing some excellent rugby," Shujaa head coach Kevin 'Bling' Wambua said.
In Group B, Kenya Morans showed class and resilience after dispatching Western Province 24-0 and Samurai 14-12. Samurai however bounced back to edge KCB 17-5.
Other results saw Germany hammer KCB 33-17 before they lost 15-12 to Samurai. Red Wailers defeated Tropic Sevens 14-12 before the latter bounced back to win 24-7 against Tuks.
KCB's first win came when they saw off Western Province 17-7 as South Africa All Stars went down 12-17 to Tropic 7s.
In the women's category, Kenya Lionesses separated themselves from chaff after a commanding show in their round-robin matches.
Lionesses began with a 52-0 win over Tuks before humbling Uganda Lady Cranes 12-5. A local rivalry between Kenya Lionesses and Kenya Cubs ended in the senior team winning 33-7.
Collated Safari Sevens Day 1 Results
Uganda 38-0Tropic 7s
Lionesses 52-0 Tuks
Red Wailers 14-12 Tropic 7s
Uganda 35 - 0 SA All Stars
Morans 24-0 Western Province
SAMURAI 17-5 KCB
Kenya Lionesses 12-5 Uganda
Kenya Shujaa 36-0 SA All stars
Uganda 32-0 Red Wailers
Germany 33-17 KCB
Morans 14-12 SAMURAI
Lionesses 33-7 Cubs
Tropic 7s 24-7 TUKS
Kenya Shujaa 17-5 Uganda