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Kenya Sevens head coach emphasises role of fans in achieving success at HSBC SVNS 2
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 11.02.26. | 13:05
Tickets for the competition sold out three weeks before kick-off, with more than 11,000 fans expected to fill the stands each day, a historic sell-out for the premier rugby event
Kenya Sevens head coach Kevin Wambua believes a packed-to-the-rafters Nyayo National Stadium will provide the extra spark his side needs when they take to the field at the HSBC SVNS 2 tournament slated for Saturday, 14 to Sunday, 15 February.
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Tickets for the competition sold out three weeks before kick-off, with more than 11,000 fans expected to fill the stands each day, a historic sell-out for the premier rugby event.
For Wambua, the atmosphere promises to mirror, and even surpass, the energy Kenyan teams have traditionally drawn from supporters while playing abroad.
“I look at it this way; whenever we travel outside the country and see our supporters gathered in the Kenya corner, we always draw a lot of energy from them. That presence gives us motivation and pushes us to perform at our best,” he said.
“Now that this tournament is being hosted in Kenya, it’s a completely different feeling because there isn’t just one Kenya corner; the entire stadium becomes the Kenya corner.
Having that level of support around us creates an incredible atmosphere and adds to the occasion,” he added.
Previously, during earlier HSBC SVNS tournaments, organisers would designate specific sections of stadiums as the “Kenya corner” for travelling fans.
Even on foreign soil, the red-clad supporters were known to fill stands and create a formidable presence. For Wambua, hosting the event at home will raise the stakes positively.
“Of course, there is pressure that comes with playing at home, but as I’ve said before, it’s the good kind of pressure.
We know the fans will be pushing and cheering us on to achieve our goals over the weekend, and that encouragement means a lot to the players.
It’s pressure we welcome and appreciate because it drives us to raise our standards and deliver the results we are working toward,” he said.
The Nairobi leg marks the opening stop of the SVNS Division 2 circuit, which will then head to Montevideo, Uruguay, on March 21–22 before concluding in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 28–29.
Under the revamped format, six teams per gender compete across three events, with the top four sides progressing to the SVNS World Championship stage.
There, they will face the leading eight teams from Division 1 in Hong Kong, Valladolid, and Bordeaux, with promotion to the top tier for the 2027 season at stake.
Kenya’s men’s team will battle the USA, Uruguay, Germany, Belgium, and Canada, while the Lionesses take on Brazil, China, Spain, South Africa, and Argentina in the women’s competition.