HSBC SVNS II: Shujaa thrash Canada to finish day one on a high in São Paulo as Lionesses impress

Kenya’s 7s national team, Shujaa, wrapped up day one of the HSBC SVNS 2 in São Paulo, Brazil, on a high after a commanding 40-0 victory over Canada on Saturday, 28 March.

The emphatic win came as a strong response to their narrow 14-12 loss to Belgium earlier in the day.

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Kevin Wambua’s charges wasted no time asserting dominance against the North Americans. Vincent Onyala set the tone with two quick tries, giving Shujaa an early cushion and control of the match.

His KCB Rugby teammate, Festus Shiasi, soon added to the tally with a well-taken corner try, stretching Kenya’s lead as Canada struggled to keep up with the pace and physicality.

Nygel Amaitsa continued the onslaught with another try before Dennis Abukuse sealed the comprehensive win, putting the final nail in the coffin to cap off a flawless performance.

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Earlier in the day, Shujaa had suffered a frustrating defeat to Belgium in their second match of the tournament.

Kenya had come into the clash brimming with confidence after a dominant 38-7 win over Germany in their opener and looked on course to maintain that momentum when speedster Patrick Odongo Okong’o crossed over just three minutes into the game.

However, Belgium responded swiftly, with Ryan Godsmark touching down before Marius Dehoust added the extras to give the Europeans a 7-5 lead.

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Despite going down to 14 men following a yellow card to Martin Marenne, Belgium extended their advantage through Timothe Rifon, with Dehoust once again converting to hand them a 14-5 lead at halftime.

Shujaa mounted a spirited comeback in the second half, with Amaitsa scoring and converting his own try to cut the deficit to just two points.

Their hopes of completing the turnaround were dealt a blow when John Okoth was sent to the sin bin shortly after coming on, allowing Belgium to hold on for a historic 14-12 win, their first over Kenya this season.

Meanwhile, the Kenya Lionesses overcame a narrow loss to Argentina to defeat South Africa 14-5 before seeing off stubborn Spain 24-17 to end day one on a positive note.

Shujaa will take on the USA at 5:44 pm (EAT), while the Lionesses face China at 6:06 pm (EAT).

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