T. NashipaeKenya Morans eye success at All-African Games after Safari 7s rollercoaster
Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 25.01.24. | 18:29
Kenya Morans are keen to do well in the upcoming All Africa Games in Ghana
Kenya Morans are among the teams that will be in action during the All-African Games scheduled for Accra, Ghana from March 8-23.
The last time the Morans were in action was during the 2023 Safari 7s tournament when they missed out on the podium after humbling KCB Rugby 26-0 in the fifth-place playoff. The 2021 Safari 7s bronze medallist checked into the RFUEA Grounds with a 24-0 victory over Western Province Select before narrowly defeating in-form Samurai 14-12.
They would then suffer a 22-7 defeat at the hands of KCB Rugby. Their 14-17 loss to Germany saw them end their day one campaign on a low.
On day two, the determined Morans bounced back to school Tropic 7s 26-10, before their 26-0 revenge over KCB Rugby that saw them claim fourth position.
According to Kenya 7s assistant coach Louis Khisia, the team will compete in the upcoming African Games to further expose them to high-intensity matches. The Morans will also serve as a breeding ground for the main team; Shujaa.
“Morans will play in the African Games. We are looking at them getting exposure and in the long term, playing in various satellite Sevens tournaments and acting as a feeder program for the main team in the years to come,” Khisia offered.
Following their impressive exploits at the HSBC Challenger Series in Dubai, Khisia emphasized the importance of squad rotation to mitigate the risk of burnout ahead of the intense string of upcoming competitive fixtures.
“We want to give members of the squad a chance to prove their worth. We have a squad of 24 players and there must be a bit of rotation to avoid burnout and remain fit for the upcoming tournaments,” the Strathmore Leos tactician averred.
Shujaa started their promotion hunt on a high, defeating Chile 12-5 in the HSBC Challenger Series opener in Dubai. The tactician noted that they identified areas of improvement ahead of the next challenge slated for Uruguay in March.
“We are striving for improvement in every match and tournament. We have identified the setpiece, scrum, lineout, and kick-off as some of the areas to look at once we resume training next week,” he revealed.
About HSBC Challenger Series
The HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 will take place in three rounds on three continents between January and May, providing a clear promotion pathway to reach the pinnacle of HSBC SVNS in 2025.
The top four placed men’s and women’s World Rugby HSBC Sevens Challenger 2024 teams, based on cumulative series points after the third round, will secure their opportunity to compete in the new high-stakes promotion and relegation play-off competition at the SVNS Grand Final in Madrid on 31 May – 2 June 2024 against the teams ranked ninth to 12th from HSBC SVNS 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)
