Shujaa’s Vancouver misery continues, eye consolation win against England
Kenya Sevens endured a tough outing at the Vancouver 7s, finishing the pool stage winless before falling to Uruguay in the ninth-place semifinals. With four straight losses, Shujaa now have one last chance to salvage their campaign as they face England in the 11th-place playoff at 9:50 p.m. East African Time tonight.
Kenya Sevens endured a tough campaign at the Vancouver leg of the HSBC SVNS, finishing the pool stage winless before falling 19-14 to Uruguay in the ninth-place semifinals. The loss extended their losing streak to four matches and relegated them to the 11th-place playoff, where they will face England at 9:50 p.m. East African Time tonight.
Shujaa’s struggles began in the group stage, where they suffered three consecutive defeats - 28-0 to Argentina, 33-7 to France, and 26-10 to Great Britain. Against Great Britain, Kenya showed early attacking promise, taking an initial lead before defensive lapses allowed their opponents to take control. Despite a resilient second-half effort, Great Britain sealed the win with two late tries, leaving Kenya without a pool-stage victory.
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In the ninth-place semifinals against Uruguay, Kenya made tactical changes, with coach Kevin Wambua introducing Nygel Amaitsa into the starting lineup. However, an early setback saw Amaitsa suffer an injury, forcing a substitution that brought Jone Kubu Tavaga into play.
After conceding the opening try to Uruguay’s Tomas Etcheverry, Kenya responded through Vincent Onyala and Kevin Wekesa, who combined to set up Kubu for the equalizer. Kubu then weaved through the Uruguayan defence to score again, handing Kenya a 14-7 lead at halftime.
Uruguay, however, mounted a second-half comeback, with Juan Gonzalez scoring twice to put them ahead 19-14. Kenya pushed for a late try, and Brian Tanga’s well-placed kick nearly set up Floyd Wabwire for a dramatic finish, but Uruguay managed to regain possession and close out the match.
With no wins in Vancouver so far, Shujaa now has one final opportunity to salvage their campaign as they take on England in the 11th-place playoff. A victory would help restore some confidence as they look ahead to the next leg of the series.
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