HSBC Sevens Playoffs: Shujaa off to flying start in win over Samoa

Kenya 7s national team Shujaa kicked off their HSBC Sevens Grand Final on a positive note after seeing off Samoa 19-12 in their opening Pool B fixture in Madrid, Spain.

Shujaa, who are in the last hurdle of seeking qualification to the World Rugby 7s Series after being relegated last year, took the lead twice before being pegged back at halftime, but eventually found a way to triumph.

Kevin Wambua’s side now takes control of Pool B, with Spain and Chile yet to play.

Patrick Odongo scored two tries that were enough to seal a win for Shujaa in the opening match of the HSBC 7s playoffs played on Friday, 31 May in Madrid Spain.

The result saw Odongo’s try tally climb to 12 over the Challenger Series. It was also the first time Shujaa beat their opponents Samoa since 2019.

Shujaa started on a high, and were enjoying possession in the first minutes. Samoa kept piling pressure on the Kenyans, who eventually succumbed and Samoa were in possession.

However, an intercept by Vincent Onyala in the third minute sent the crowd wild as he raced clear to score the opening try of the match.

The captain converted his try to see the scores climb to 7-0.

The try seemed to motivate the hungry Kenyans who went ahead to score another one thanks to Odongo’s electric speed. Asati set up Odongo for that try, that went unconverted to see the result at 12-0.

The tries served as a wakeup call to Samoa who were now punching above weight to score their first try. Their efforts bore fruit and they scored two consecutive tries and converted one to see the scores tie at 12-12 at half time.

In the final half, Wambua’s charges scored another five pointer thanks to Odongo.

Scrum half Samuel Asati was yellow carded 45 seconds to the final whistle but Samoa failed to capitalize on the numerical advantage to see the Kenyans pick their first win in the playoff.

CS Ababu Namwamba rallies behind Shujaa ahead of crucial HSBC 7s playoffs

Shujaa will now be looking to build on that performance when they lock horns with hosts Spain at 10:18 pm.

They will end their pool campaign with a match against Chile on Saturday at 8:18pm.

The Kenyans only need to secure a top four position in this crucial playoffs to quench their HSBC 7s thirst.