Abukuse's try not enough as Shujaa fall to Australia in Hong Kong
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Reading Time: 2min | Fri. 17.04.26. | 14:05
Kenya will now turn their focus to their next Pool C fixture against New Zealand at 3:47 pm
Kenya Sevens suffered a 14-5 defeat to Australia in their opening match of the HSBC SVNS World Championship Series, played on Friday, 17 April at the Kai Tak Sports Park in Hong Kong, China.
Heading into the clash, Shujaa were riding on confidence after finishing third in the SVNS 2 competition, while Australia arrived as one of the top sides on the main circuit, having placed third overall with 82 points.
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Kenya had the first real chance to get on the scoreboard, but Patrick Odongo’s effort was ruled out after he knocked on while collecting a kick from Nygel Amaitsa.
Australia capitalized on the let-off, with Josh Turner finishing off a move from Ben Dowling to score the opening try.
The Aussies extended their lead before halftime, as James Turner sliced through the defence on the left wing to give his side a 14-0 advantage at the break.
Shujaa came out stronger in the second half and struck almost immediately.
Vincent Onyala recovered the kickoff and combined well with Denis Abukuse, who sprinted through for Kenya’s only try of the match.
The missed conversion, however, left the score at 14-5, which ultimately proved decisive.
Kenya will now turn their focus to their next Pool C fixture against New Zealand at 3:47 pm.
The result continues Kenya’s struggles against Australia in recent meetings on the sevens' circuit.
In their last five encounters, Shujaa are yet to register a win, with Australia claiming victories of 21-7 (July 2024), 19-12 (December 2024), 31-14 (November 2024), and 12-7 (February 2023).
The only positive result for Kenya in that run was a 19-19 draw in December 2022.