Kenya Lionesses dominate Belgium in opening match of Second Leg of Challenger Series
Lionesses lacked rhythm in the second half and their attempts to register points on the scoreboard were hindered by scrappy play and sloppy passing.
Captain Grace Okulu scored a hat-trick of tries as Kenya Lionesses registered a 17-5 win over Belgium in their opening Pool A match of the Second Leg of the 2025 HSBC Women’s Challenger Series in Cape Town, South Africa, on Friday.
Lionesses, who won the First Leg of the series last weekend after defeating Argentina 17-12 in the final, started the match with Naomi Amuguni, Christabel Lindo, Sheila Chajira, Sinaida Nyachio, Judith Okumu, Grace Okulu, and Sharon Auma.
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Kenya was quick to stamp its authority, winning possession quickly after Belgium kicked off the match and creating an overload on the right side that allowed Grace Okulu to sprint comfortably to the try line after play was switched to the left side, giving Lionesses a 5-0 lead in the first minute of the match.
Okulu’s conversion crashed against the post but that did not deter Kenya’s determination to stretch their lead as Okulu scored another try in the third minute to give Kenya a 10-0 lead.
Okulu extended Kenya’s to 15-0 when she scored another try in the 7th minute which was converted by Sinaida Nyachio, seeing Kenya take a 17-0 lead to the break.
The second half had a different start to the first period as Belgium returned more determined to make amends, with Femke Soens scoring a try for the Europeans to reduce the deficit to 17-5.
Lionesses lacked rhythm in the second half and their attempts to register points on the scoreboard were hindered by scrappy play and sloppy passing.
However, they managed to hang on to their lead to start the Second Leg of the 2025 HSBC Women’s Challenger Series with a victory.
Lionesses play Uganda in their last Pool A match at 8:36 pm with the winner of the contest qualifying for the semi-finals as the group winner. Uganda currently lead the group on points difference having defeated Belgium 22-7 earlier in the day.
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