Kenya Lionesses recover from semifinal loss to clinch third place in Krakow
Kenya Lionesses staged a spirited comeback to defeat Thailand 27-19 and secure third place at the Krakow leg of the HSBC Women’s Challenger Series, keeping their promotion hopes firmly on track.
Kenya Lionesses bounced back in style after a semifinal heartbreak, defeating Thailand 27-19 on Saturday evening to claim third place at the Krakow leg of the 2025 HSBC Women’s Challenger Series.
Freshia Oduor ran in a hat-trick of tries while Stella Wafula added two, as the Lionesses overcame an early 12-0 deficit to end the tournament on a high.
The team, coached by former Kenya Sevens star Dennis Mwanja, had dropped to the third-place play-off after a 22-10 semifinal loss to South Africa. Things looked bleak again when Thailand raced into an early lead through tries from Rattanaporn Wittayaronnayut and Jirawun Chutrakun, with Wannaree Meechok adding a conversion.
More To Read
- Kenya Lionesses close pool play with gritty win over Colombia in HSBC Challenger Series
- Kenya Lionesses Squad for HSBC Challenger Series Krakow, Poland named
- Shujaa battles for survival as Lionesses chase promotion in crucial sevens tournaments
- Dennis Mwanja hails Kenya Lionesses’ back-to-back HSBC Challenger Series victories as historic
Thailand had beaten Kenya 28-12 in Friday’s Pool A clash, ending the Lionesses’ unbeaten run in the series, and appeared on course for a second victory. But Wafula sparked the Kenyan revival, scoring either side of half-time to cut the deficit to 12-10.
Oduor, who had scored all of Kenya’s points against South Africa earlier in the day, picked up where she left off - crossing over twice to give the Lionesses a 20-12 lead.
Thailand briefly threatened a comeback with a converted try from Narathip Maneesai that narrowed the margin to 20-19. However, yellow cards to Dion Ajwaja and Chutrakun handed Kenya a numerical advantage, which they used to seal the match. Oduor completed her treble, and Sinaida Nyachio added the extras to put the result beyond doubt.
The Lionesses earned 16 points in Krakow, extending their lead in the overall standings to 56 points after picking up maximum points in the opening two legs in Cape Town in March.
Next up is the eight-team promotion-relegation playoff set for Los Angeles on 3–4 May. Kenya will need a top-four finish to earn promotion to the 2025–26 SVNS - a feat that would see the Lionesses feature in the top flight for the first time in their history.
The playoff will also feature Challenger Series rivals Argentina, Colombia, and South Africa, alongside SVNS bottom-four sides Brazil, China, Ireland, and Spain.
Top Stories Today
