T. NashipaeCoach Wambua elated with Kenya 7s success
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 17.01.24. | 09:00
The team was in sleek form, winning five out of the six matches played to be crowned winners of the highly competitive tournament
Shujaa head coach Kevin Wambua alias Bling has expressed pleasure in his charges' performance in the recently concluded HSBC Challenger Series at the Sevens Stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
The Challenger Series kicked off on Friday 12 and concluded 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.
The team was in sleek form, winning five out of the six matches played to be crowned winners of the highly competitive tournament.
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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.
They then proceeded to the semifinal stage where they humbled Uruguay 21-5 to cruise to the finals. Their heroics continued as they saw off Chile 12-5 to win the tournament.
Speaking after the tournament, the visibly excited tactician showered praises on his charges' zeal, noting that the best was yet to come.
"I feel good. The boys had to dig deep in this one. I am glad that we used our position well. We were patient with the ball and we were able to get the scores that got us over the line," coach Bling said.
According to the tactician, their impressive restarts and kickoffs won the adrenaline-filled matches. He noted that their patience with the ball paid off.
"The restart won us these games. We were able to retain most of our kickoffs and that gave us possession, were patient with the ball, and we got an opportunity to score. We focused our game around the restarts and I am glad that everything ticked off in the final game," he averred.
Despite their impressive start to the promotion hunt, coach Bling refused to be carried away, noting that they must uphold their already high standards.
The team was relegated from the Series following a 12-7 playoff final loss to Canada at Twickenham Stadium, London on May 21, 2023. The defeat meant the Kenyans lost their status as a core team in international rugby’s elite sevens series for the first time in two decades. They will be keen to mark another milestone this year by returning to the series.
"It is a step at a time. We are happy with this win but we are not going to get complacent. We will go back home and go through our areas of improvement and focus on the next tournament," he concluded.
The triumphant Shujaa landed in the country on Monday 15 January and were received with jubilation.
Cabinet Secretary in charge of Youth Affairs, Creative Economy, and Sports Ababu Namwamba was over the moon about the team's success, taking it on his X account to congratulate them.
"Congratulations to the Shujaa and Lionesses for this promising start of the long journey back to the top table of World Rugby. Kenya has huge potential in sports, especially with the transformative TalantaHela," he posted.
With the win now behind them, the team will go back to the drawing board in readiness for the second Challenger Series slated for Montevideo in Uruguay from March 8-10, 2024.
HSBC World Rugby Sevens Challenger 2024 dates:
Montevideo, Uruguay – 8-10 March 2024 (men and women)
Krakow, Poland – 18-19 May, 2024 (women)
Munich, Germany – 18-19 May, 2024 (men)
