Kenya Morans crash out of main cup after loss to Madagascar
.jpg)
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 22.06.25. | 15:40
The Kenyan team will have themselves to blame as they surrendered their lead to eventually bow to the Makis
Kenya Morans’ dream of lifting the Africa Men’s Sevens title came to a heartbreaking end following a 14-10 semifinal loss to Madagascar on Sunday, 22 June at the Labourdonnais Sports Club in Mauritius.
It was the first defeat for the Morans in the tournament, having stormed through the pool stages unbeaten with dominant wins over Ivory Coast (34-0), Ghana (33-0), and Uganda (12-5), followed by an emphatic 43-12 victory over Nigeria in the quarterfinals.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for more news
The semifinal clash began with high intensity, with Madagascar displaying sharp attacking play and impressive ball phases.
The Makis, as the Madagascar side is known, were physical from the onset, but the Morans stood their ground with a solid defensive structure.
Kenya gained momentum early after a handling error by Madagascar handed them a scrum, with Lameck Ambetsa feeding the ball.
The Morans immediately went on the offensive, forcing Madagascar to concede a dangerous tackle on Chrissant Ojwang, which saw a Makis player sin-binned.
With the numerical advantage, Kenya capitalized as Matoka Matoka set up Ojwang for the first try of the game.
However, the conversion attempt was unsuccessful.
Despite efforts to widen the gap, the match went into halftime with Kenya leading 5-0.
Madagascar responded strongly in the second half, scoring a try within the first two minutes and successfully converting it to take a 7-5 lead.
Barely had Kenya regrouped from the setback when the Makis crossed over again from the restart, extending their lead to 14-5.
The Morans clawed their way back as William Mwanji’s slick playmaking set up Jackson Siketi for a well-worked try.
Siketi calmly converted to cut the deficit to 14-10.
With time running out, Kenya pushed for a comeback, but a costly handling error in the dying minutes handed possession back to Madagascar, who held on for the win.
The result means Kenya bow out of the main cup contention and will now play in the third-place playoff.
.jpg)
