Shujaa fight back to reach 9th place final after pool C struggles
Kevin Wekesa's second-minute try, which Nygel Amaitsa converted, gave Shujaa a 7-5 lead at halftime.
The Kenya national rugby sevens team, Shujaa, has advanced to the ninth-place final at the 2025 Hong Kong Sevens after defeating the USA 17-10 in the ninth-place semifinal on Saturday.
Kevin Wekesa's second-minute try, which Nygel Amaitsa converted, gave Shujaa a 7-5 lead at halftime. The duo's effort gave Kenya a 7-0 lead before Ben Broselle reduced the deficit for the USA in the second minute of the first half injury time.
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In the second half, Kenya took a commanding 17-5 lead after quick-fire tries by Vincent Onyala and Patrick Odongo in the 12th and 13th minutes, respectively.
Yet again, Broselle reduced the deficit for the USA with a try in injury time but Shujaa held on to secure a 17-10 win.
Shujaa will now meet South Africa in the final of the 9th-place play-offs on Sunday at 7 am. South Africa defeated Uruguay 33-7 in the other 9th-place semifinal.
Shujaa had landed in the 9th-place final after losing 14-7 to France in their final Pool C match, which was played earlier on Saturday.
Shujaa needed to win against the Europeans to guarantee their progress to the main cup quarters but succumbed to the resilient French, who played part of the match with six men after Antoine Zeghdar was shown a yellow card in the fourth minute.
France had the better start to the match, taking a 7-0 lead at the stroke of halftime with a try by Simion Desert, which was converted by Enehamo Artaud.
Shujaa returned stronger in the second half, with Nygel Amaitsa converting Patrick Odongo's 10th-minute try to level the scores.
However, Mateo Garcia's late try and conversion sealed a 14-7 victory for France.
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