'I know by Hong Kong we will be on fire' - Kenya Sevens ace Tony Omondi
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Reading Time: 3min | Wed. 12.03.25. | 10:38
Mozzart Sport caught up with Omondi, who promised fireworks ahead of the upcoming challenge
Former Kenya Sevens co-captain Tony Omondi is optimistic that Shujaa will register positive results in the upcoming fifth leg of the HSBC SVNS Series slated for Friday 28 to Sunday 30 March in China.
The side is fresh from a dismissal performance in Canada, where they finished last on the log without a point. They will need to at least get to the semifinals of the Hong Kong 7s to avoid relegation.
Mozzart Sport caught up with Omondi, who promised fireworks ahead of the upcoming challenge.
“We all know what went wrong; we had a discussion after the tournament, and we have a two-week training session, that is a total of eight sessions and with the guidance of the technical bench, I know by Hong Kong we will be on fire,” Omondi offered.
He went on to share his thoughts on the team’s performance at the Vancouver 7s, saying they lost by very small margins due to rookie mistakes. That tournament marked the team's worst-ever performance under head coach Kevin Wambua.
They began their campaign on a sour note with a 28-0 loss to Argentina, followed by a 33-7 defeat to France and a 26-10 loss to Great Britain, leaving them at the bottom of their group.
The poor run of results relegated them to the 11th-place playoff, where they fell to Uruguay, before their final loss against Ireland.
“If you look at the games, we lost by very thin margins. In rugby, the ball can bounce in any direction, and you can never be sure where it will go.
We made a few small mistakes, and before we knew it, the game was over. Our opponents took advantage of those mistakes,” he revealed.
He further pointed out that issues like loose balls, lost lineouts, errors in kickoffs, and mistakes in key moments made a big difference.
“The games were tough, and every small mistake mattered,” he added.
Away from the pitch, Omondi admitted that Canada did not impress him much.
“Nothing excited me about Canada. The food was not the best, and the weather was bad. Playing inside a dome was the best part,” he averred.
According to Omondi, adapting quickly is key to performing well in such tournaments.
“It all depends on how well you prepare and how fast you adjust to the weather and everything else. The quicker you adapt, the better you play,” he explained.
Heading to Hong Kong, the Kevin Wambua-coached side has been placed in Pool C together with Spain, Great Britain, and France.
Great Britain and France are familiar opponents, having played against Shujaa in the recently concluded Vancouver 7s.
Kenya bowed 33-7 to France before losing 26-10 to Great Britain.
Shujaa and Dubai Sevens silver medalists, Spain last faced off during the Cape Town 7s where Kenya lost 14-7 to miss out on a semifinal spot.
