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Third-place finish for Shujaa in Montevideo Challenger Series

Kenya 7s in action © Kenya Rugby

By Rama Mohammed | 11 Mar 2024

Kenya's rugby sevens national team, known as Shujaa, faced disappointment as they secured a third-place finish in the recent Challenger Series held at the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo, Uruguay. This marked a decline from their victorious performance in the opening series in Dubai

Kenya's national rugby sevens team, Shujaa, faced a challenging outing at the Estadio Charrúa in Montevideo, Uruguay, during the second Challenger Series held from March 8 to 10. Despite their earlier success in Dubai, where they emerged victorious, Shujaa had to settle for third place this time.

The disappointment came after a tough semifinal match against Hong Kong, where they suffered a 21-14 defeat, knocking them out of contention for the main cup. However, the team demonstrated resilience in the third-place playoff against Chile, securing a convincing 31-12 victory to clinch the bronze medal.

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Shujaa's journey in Montevideo began with a promising start, as they secured a 12-5 victory over Portugal. However, they faced a setback with a 17-0 loss to Georgia in their second match. Determined to bounce back, they managed a narrow 17-14 win against Tonga, which propelled them to the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinal stage, Shujaa faced a tough challenge against Uganda but emerged victorious with a narrow 7-5 win, earning them a spot in the semifinals. However, they couldn't overcome the strong Hong Kong side, resulting in their third-place finish.

During the semifinal match against Hong Kong, Shujaa struggled to keep up, conceding early tries to Cado Lee. Despite a late surge, with Kevin Wekesa and Vincent Onyala combining for a try, they couldn't close the gap, ending the first half trailing 21-7. In the second half, Benson Salem managed to score a conversion try, but it wasn't enough to secure the win.

In the third-place playoff against Chile, Shujaa came out strong, with Lamec Ambetsa scoring an early try. Despite Chile's efforts to level the scores, Shujaa maintained their lead, with Samuel Asati and Vincent Onyala adding more tries. Co-captain Tony Omondi and John Okoth also contributed to the scoreline, securing a comfortable lead for Shujaa. Despite a late try from Chile's Luca Strabucchi, Shujaa emerged victorious with a final score of 31-12.

With this result, Shujaa earned 16 points in the tournament, bringing their total to 36 points after the two rounds of the Challenger Series. Meanwhile, Kenya's women's team, the Lionesses, faced disappointment as they finished eighth in the tournament after losing 22-27 to Hong Kong in the seventh-place playoff.