Why Shujaa must reach quarters in Valladolid, Bordeaux 7s

Nygel Amaitsa and Kevin Wekesa of Shujaa tussle for the ball against Uruguay during the Sao Paulo Sevens. [World Rugby]

Kenya Sevens team's dream of making it back to the World Rugby Sevens Series Division One remains on course despite a mixed show at Hong Kong Sevens. 

The Kelvin Wambua-led Shujaa finished seventh overall in the opening leg of the SVNS Championship after seeing off France 21-7 in the classification game yesterday. 

Shujaa landed the opening try in the sixth minute through Nygel Amaitsa to take a 7-0 lead. France responded in style, with Maxim Granell crossing over to level the scores at 7-7 heading into the break. 

In the second half, Festus Shiasi made a clean break and raced under the posts for a try, which was successfully converted to hand Kenya a 14-7 lead. 

Kenya then capitalised on a scrum, with co-captain Samuel Asati crossing over for a try that was converted to seal a 21-7 victory. 

The win places Kenya seventh on the 12-man standings with eight points. 

Shujaa now shift focus to Valladolid in Spain, set for April 29-30, where they will be aiming to push further and maintain their place in the top eight.

For Kenya to achieve that, they must qualify for the quarter-finals of both Valladolid and Bordeaux. This will ensure the least amount of points they can collect is six points per leg, points that will ensure they finish amongst the top eight. 

Uruguay, USA, Great Britain, Germany and France are already behind Kenya in the battle for Division One spots, while South Africa, Spain, Argentina, New Zealand, Australia, and Fiji lead the charge. 

After the preliminary matches, the top two teams from the three groups proceed to the quarter-finals and are joined by the two best losers from the remaining teams in the group. 

The World Championship will feature three legs starting with Hong Kong this weekend, then Valladolid in Spain (May 29-31) and finally Bordeaux in France (June 5-7). 

The winners will be crowned in France, while the top eight teams after the three legs form part of the 2026-2027 World Rugby Sevens Division One teams. 

The bottom four will once again be relegated to Division Two, where two teams from Division Three will join them, and it will be played next year over three legs to determine the best four nations to qualify for the 2027 World SVSNS Championship. 

Meanwhile, South Africa were crowned Hong Kong Sevens champions after they saw off Argentina 35-7 in the finals. Spain won bronze after a 32-28 win over New Zealand, while Fiji crushed Australia 26-10 for the fifth-place finish.