Coach Bling elated with Shujaa fighting spirit in Challenger Series

Shujaa head coach Kevin Wambua alias Bling has heaped praises on his charges following their great exploits in the ongoing HSBC Challenger Series at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 

The Challenger Series kicked off on Friday 12 and will conclude on Sunday 14. This is the pathway teams use to qualify for the World Seven Series and will be played in Dubai, Munich, and Madrid in the first part of next year.

Triumphant Shujaa and Lionesses cruise to Challenger Series semifinals

The team has been in sleek form, winning three out of the four matches played to sail through to the semifinals of the highly competitive tournament.

The determined Shujaa kickstarted their promotion hunt with a stunning 41-0 win over Mexico before seeing off noisy neighbors Uganda 29-7 in the closely contested match. The win assured them a spot in the tournament's quarterfinals.

They ended their pool matches with a 24-12 loss to Germany. The loss was the first for the team since coach Bling and the new technical bench took over. The side has been on a winning streak since September 2023 when they humbled South Africa to book a direct slot in the Paris 2024 Olympics.

At the quarterfinal stage, the high-flying Kenya 7s narrowly escaped a 21-19 beating from on-form Japan.

Speaking after their adrenaline-filled quarterfinal match, coach Bling pointed out that their skills were put to the test. The tactician noted that the match exposed some of the areas they needed to work on ahead of their semifinal match. He disclosed that their main aim was to get into the semifinals of the tournament, and they were keen to exceed expectations.

"I am happy for the boys. The match against Japan really put our skills to the test but we were able to counter that with some of our strengths. We were able to comeback and get the win. I am happy that we have achieved our goal of getting into the semifinals. Now that we are here, we need to refocus and see how we can build from that," Bling offered.

The team was bolstered by the services of lanky speedster Patrick Odongo. Odongo has been in fine form since last year when he was crowned the Africa Men's 7s top try scorer. He has scored six tries for Shujaa in Dubai.

Commenting on his skills, Bling observed that they were leaving no stone unturned in ensuring the 23-year-old reaches his full potential. He noted that he was a great assert to the team.

"He is confident, a young talent who is still growing. This is his first season so there is a lot more to come. We will guide and nurture him to ensure he reaches his full potential. We are also working on making him more comfortable and more confident," Bling averred.

His sentiments were echoed by Shujaa captain Tony Omondi who noted that their loss to Germany served as a wake-up call to the team. He was, however, pleased with his teammates fighting spirit, urging them to keep up the great work.

"It was a very difficult match. We expected them to come at us but we talked and had a chat after losing to Germany and we knew what needed to be done. We had to match their physicality, speed, offloads and at the end of it all we managed to win. It all boils down to our mental strength and the willingness to go hard one more time because upward is the only way," the eloquent captain said.

He also commented on the feeling after the three-day match, noting that it was energy consuming. Despite that, he noted that the end would justify the means.

"We all know that three-day tournaments are tough, it takes a tone on our bodies but that is what rugby is all about," he concluded.

Shujaa will face Uruguay in the semifinal match while their female counterparts; Lionesses lock horns with Argentina.

Shujaa's run in the Challenger Series

Shujaa 41-0 Mexico

Shujaa 29-7 Uganda

Shujaa 24-12 Germany

QF: Shujaa 21-19 Japan