Kenya Sevens face win-or-burst moment in London
Jordan Sepho of France (left) fights for the ball against Tony Omondi of Kenya (right) during their match of the HSBC Rugby Sevens event in Singapore on April 8, 2023.
What you need to know:
- In order to survive relegation, coach Damian McGrath’s Shujaa must win the four-nation competition against Uruguay, Canada and Tonga.
There will be no room for slip-ups as Kenya Shujaa fight for their lives at the World Rugby Sevens Series 2024 Play-off at Twickenham in London, England this weekend.
In order to survive relegation, coach Damian McGrath’s Shujaa must win the four-nation competition against Uruguay, Canada and Tonga.
“We have to get our game going early and get points since it is a knockout tournament,” Alvin ‘Buffa’ Otieno told Nation Sport from London.
Shujaa face Canada and World Rugby Sevens Challenger Series 2023 winners Tonga on Saturday at 1.51pm and 4.59pm respectively and Uruguay at 2.19pm on Sunday.
The four know this could be their last experience in the World Rugby Sevens Series this season.
Shujaa have been a core team since the 2002-2003 World Rugby Sevens Series season, surviving relegation narrowly in the 2011-2012 and 2018-2019 seasons.
Canada humiliated Kenya 33-7 in the Toulouse Sevens in France on May 13 in the last meeting between the two sides.
They have lost three straight matches against Uruguay and suffered a 26-24 loss at the hands of Tonga the last time they met in Australia in January this year.
Each of the quartet will play three matches during a round-robin pool stage, before the best two advance to a winner-takes-all play-off to decide the identity of the 12th and final team on the 2024 World Rugby Sevens Series.
Kenya captain Nelson Oyoo told World Rugby that they are under pressure, "but we’re trying as much as possible to keep calm and be able to tackle the task at hand.”
