Shujaa moves one place up in IRB rankings: Kenya bag 10 points from Singapore after All Blacks loss

New Zealand's Dylan Collier (C) competes against Kenya players during the fifth place cup semi-final of the HSBC Singapore Rugby Sevens tournament in Singapore on April 29, 2018. / AFP PHOTO

Focus shifts to next month’s London and Paris World Sevens legs.

Kenya garnered 10 points from the Singapore Sevens after falling 17-7 to New Zealand in yesterday’s fifth place semifinal at the National Stadium.

Despite the defeat, Shujaa have moved one place up in the overall World Sevens Series table standings, level on points (93) with sixth-placed USA, who beat Canada 26-12 to lift the Challenge Trophy.

Kenya will be looking to go past their 100-point target at next month’s last two legs of the 2017/2018 World Sevens Series - in London (June 2-3) and Paris (June 9-10).

Having reached the final of the last two legs in Hong Kong and Vancouver, Shujaa went to Singapore with high hopes of replicating their famous 2016 heroics at the same tournament.

However, the East Africans’ dreams of reclaiming the title they lost to Canada last season, were shattered when they fell 24-12 to their continental rivals, South Africa, in yesterday’s nail-biting quarterfinal match.

Siviwe Soyizwapi was the tormentor-in-chief, scoring a hat-trick of tries to help Blitzboks get bragging rights over their fellow Africans.

Soyizwapi opened South Africa’s account with an excellent and clinical finish out wide before Heino Bezuidenhout shrugged off a challenge from his marker to double the lead for Blitzboks.

Speedster Collins Injera nearly broke through but a disciplined South Africa defence kept him at bay before Soyizwapi made the scores 17-0 with his second try of the game at the stroke of halftime.

However, instrumental Injera brought Kenya back into the game with a clinical converted try after finishing off Samuel Oliech’s pass.

But Soyizwapi was at it again, pouncing on Selvyn Davids’s pass before killing off Kenya’s comeback hopes with his third try of the game.

Injera grounded the second try for Kenya and his 260th in the World Rugby Sevens Series, but it could not stop the South Africans from sailing through to the last four.

Elsewhere, Homeboyz will battle with Impala in Saturday’s Enterprise Cup final after both teams won their respective semifinal matches at the weekend.

The Deejays edged out holders Kenya Commercial Bank 12-10 as Impala rallied to beat hosts Kabras Sugar 15-13 in Kakamega.