Ambaka, Onyala return as Shujaa name Commonwealth squad

Narvskaya Zastava ace Willy Ambaka and Vincent Onyala have been drafted into the Kenya 7s squad for the 2022 Commonwealth Games by head coach Damian McGrath.

Ambaka has been overlooked in previous Shujaa squads with Onyala set to return to sevens games after doing duty for the country with Simbas who missed out on a direct ticket to the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

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Shujaa have been drawn in Pool D against Australia, Jamaica and eternal rivals Uganda in the tournament that is set to kick off on Friday 29 July to Sunday 31 July at the Coventry Stadium.

Kenya 7s head coach Damian McGrath revealed that the boys are well prepared for the tournament after working closely with the Strength and Conditioning coach Geoffrey Kimani.

“The boys are in a good place, we have been working well with coach Geoffrey Kimani over the past few weeks to ensure that they are ready. Kenya is a team to be feared and we expect to make it out of the pool and reach the knockout stages,” said McGrath.

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After landing a favourable draw, Kenya are expected to book a ticket to the quarter finals with Australia being the only world core team in the Pool.

The tournament will be a memorable one for Ambaka and Billy Odhiambo who will be gracing their third Commonwealth Games after featuring in Gold Coast 2018 and Glasgow 2014.

Shujaa Commonwealth Games Squad

Nelson Oyoo (Captain), Herman Humwa, Alvin Otieno, Vincent Onyala, Bush Mwale, Kevin Wekesa , Tony Omondi, Johnstone Olindi , Billy Odhiambo, Edmond Anya , Daniel Taabu, Levi Amunga, Willy Ambaka

Management: Damian McGrath (Head Coach), Geoffrey Kimani (Strength and Conditioning Coach), Lamech Bogonko (Physio), Erick Ogweno (Team Manager).